Women in Sports Panel Offers Words of Wisdom and Advice to Curry Students

Riding the wave of the recent national recognition of women in sports, the Curry College Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Sport and Recreation Management major recently hosted an inclusive panel featuring six female trailblazers in the sports industry.

Moderated by Diversity Center Director Jammy Torres-Millet, students, faculty, and staff listened to the powerful stories, tribulations, and passion from the panelists; Dr. Natalie West, Curry College Associate Professor of Sport and Recreation Management, Molly Goodwin, Owner of the Boston Renegades Women’s Professional Football Team, Falecia Porter, Manager of Youth Development at the Connecticut Sun, Kamilah Washington, Director of Boston Operations at Shooting Touch, Shantell Jeter, Founder of You Got it Girl and head basketball coach at Belmont High, and Kim Zayotti, Owner of Blue Sky Sports and Entertainment.

“This conversation was so special-we talked about our unique stories, the array of opportunities within the sports field, transferable leadership skills, our youth, and even offered major jewels to our students about entering and navigating the industry,” said Torres-Millet.

Senior Sport and Recreation Management major JD Santiago was inspired by the stories in the room, saying that, “It was eye-opening to hear of the sacrifices that many of these women made to pursue a career in sports. They’ve created so many opportunities for generations of women to come, and that is pretty special.”

The transferable skills learned through the comradery of sport are limitless, as supported by the panelists, who elaborated on the many benefits such as self-advocacy, commitment, goal setting, adapting to individuals with diverse backgrounds, and learning how to deal with loss.

And while many lessons are learned through active involvement as athletes, the panel served as a reminder that there are leadership and work opportunities for women in sport beyond just the playing field.

Senior Skylar Carrignan, a public relations major, “realized the immense potential for meaningful and fulfilling careers in marketing and PR within the sports industry. Their stories inspired me to consider these career paths further and think of how I could contribute to the dynamic intersection of sports, marketing, and public relations in the future.”

The Women in Sports event is just one of the many ways that Curry College continues to spotlight diversity and inclusion on its campus.

"I intend on continuing to utilize my role within the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to collaborate with other campus departments to champion more important causes pertaining to DEI, like amplifying the voices and stories of Women in Sports,” said Torres-Millet. “I believe in doing so we will continue to inspire our students, enhance their DEI knowledge, and become the inclusive community we want to be.”