Every Student Has a Story: Carter Costello '27

Carter Costello '27 is a third generation golf nut (above, many years ago, with his dad and grandfather). He's good, but not good enough to make a career as a golfer. However, he is good enough (better than good) to make a career out of golf. Siena's marketing department helped him find his way.

Costello, a Syracuse native, narrowed his list of potential colleges down to two. The high school athlete knew that Division I golf wasn't realistic, but Division III was in play. Instead, he decided to pivot and make his college choice on academics and fit, not golf. His finalists were the University of Tampa and Siena. At the former, he could golf year round. At the latter, well, he couldn't.

"It didn't matter. I just fell in love with Siena's campus. I knew that I would fit in. I clearly made the right decision."

Costello enrolled as a marketing major, but until recently, he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do with his life. In fact, last year he took the New York State Trooper Entrance Exam just to give himself options. But the siren song of golf kept pulling him back...

Costello took a Sport Management class with Adam Pfleegor, Ph.D., associate professor of management. During the semester, he learned about the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Internship Program. The AJGA is the premier junior golf association in the world, staging over 200 tournament each year. They depend on a cadre of interns to help manage their events, and its internship program - a proven pipeline into sport management careers in and out of the golf industry - is considered one of the best in sports. This year, they fielded more than 1,700 applicants for 63 spots.

"Last year, I walked into Siena's Admissions office with very little to put on a resume. I applied for an internship on Handshake, and they gave me a shot. All thanks to Emily Furlong (assistant director of digital marketing) and Andy Murphy (director of marketing). Kraig Larkin, my First Year Seminar professor, has also been a great resource. I really believe it's their mentorship and those experiences that helped me get the interview in Georgia."

From the 1,700 inquiries, and following a round of virtual interviews, 125 high school juniors and seniors were flown to Braselton, Georgia, all expenses paid, for their 25th annual intern recruitment weekend. The applicants had three days to learn and make an impression. Half of them would get the job.

"When I went there, it generally felt like family. They all love what they do. I realized that weekend really is the stepping stone into the golf industry. They hire almost exclusively from their interns. I had this feeling when I was there... if I don't get this, it's going to suck."

Costello thought about ways he could stand out from the crowd, and he made the decision to lean into the relationship building that's at the core of Siena's culture.

"I made it a top priority to meet every person down there. In any down time, I would go and talk to a staff member and ask questions and be curious. When we got back to the hotel on the final night, I stayed up past midnight and wrote 15 thank you letters individually to staff members."

Costello flew home, and on the plane, he had the thought, "If I don't get this internship, I'm going to regret this for the rest of my life." This summer, there will be no regrets. Costello will be a traveling communications intern, executing the AJGA social media and promotional plans. Soon, he'll be assigned his region, and he'll be on the road, traveling from event to event from May 11 to September 8. He's one of a few juniors who earned a spot - that puts him in line for a rare, elevated internship next summer.

Costello plays in a men's league with his dad and grandfather. Costello is the youngest guy in the league by more than 25 years, but it was his reminder that golf would always be part of his life. And now, golf could be his life.

"My dream job would be a tournament director for a PGA Tour event."

The only downside to the internship? He's not allowed to bring his clubs (there's not enough downtime for golf). Costello's never gone a full summer without golfing, but he sacrificed golf in the winter to attend Siena. That couldn't have worked out better.