Shaela Nally ’24 Nabs WISE Woman of Inspiration Student Award
Sport management major Shaela Nally ’24 was honored with the WISE Woman of Inspiration Student Award at a December 11 ceremony at the Auerbach Center in Boston.
WISE—Women in Sports and Events—is a national nonprofit and is considered the leading voice and resource for women in the business of sports. The WISE Woman of Inspiration Student Award honors a female student studying towards a career in sports and events who exemplifies the drive to excel in the industry and to trailblaze a path for themselves. This student is someone who is viewed as a leader with an ambitious spirit by their professors, peers, and connections.
“I honestly couldn’t believe it when I read that I was nominated,” said Nally, who attended the ceremony alongside her parents. “That made it so special. I just felt so honored that someone would even think to nominate me. As cliché as it is, hard work pays off.”
Hard work has defined Nally’s career at Endicott, where she has seized every opportunity available to gain hands-on experience and learn a variety of skills through internships and academics.
“Shae has been a joy to work with these past four years. Her motivation inspires everyone around her. She has been on a boundless quest for more experience in her field of study and has taken advantage of every opportunity that has come her way,” said Kevin Commette, Assistant Professor of Experiential Learning and Internship Faculty II in the School of Sport Science.
“During her time at Endicott, Shaela has distinguished herself through her unwavering commitment and proactive approach to pursuing numerous opportunities. She is an active member of WISE Boston and possesses a strong drive to learn and grow professionally, evolving into a commendable leader across her multiple internships,” noted Director of Employee Relations Brenda Campbell who, along with Commette, nominated Nally for the award. “We take pride in her remarkable accomplishments and look forward to witnessing her continued success in her career journey.”
During the spring 2023 semester, Nally studied abroad in Cork, Ireland, where she was exposed to diverse cultures and perspectives, which fostered a greater cultural sensitivity and global awareness. On campus, Nally serves as an Orientation Leader and Executive Board Member of the Sport Management Club.
Nally has gained valuable professional experience over the last several years. She spent the summer of 2021 as a Game Day Operations intern for the North Shore Navigators in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The following season, she was promoted to the Navigators’ front office staff as the Director of Game Day Operations. In the new role, Nally was responsible for hiring, training, and managing a team of 20 Game Day Operations interns. She completed her second internship with Endicott College Athletics, working game day operations throughout the 2022 fall and winter seasons.
In the summer of 2023, she worked for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League. She filled two roles, serving as the Intern Coordinator and the Assistant to the Team President. Shaela oversaw 12 interns on the media team for all home and away games. This included the production/broadcast, social media, and communications teams. Currently, Nally is completing a semester-long internship at Boston College with their athletic marketing department. She also works as an Event Ambassador for Kraft Sports and Entertainment at New England Patriots home games and events.
Nally’s early mornings, late nights, and extra innings have paid off. “Being able to say I’ve had three of my dream jobs already is so worth it,” Nally told News at the Nest in an article about her internships in September 2023. “Being a senior in college and having five internships under my belt is something most college students can’t say. One of my deciding factors when choosing Endicott was the internship program.”
In October 2022, she represented Endicott alongside five other Gulls at the World Congress of Sports Conference hosted by the Sports Business Journal in New York City, attending speaker panels featuring female role models in the sport management industry including Jessica Berman, Marie Donoghue, and Rubie Edmondson.
Nally has also been an active student member of WISE Boston. She was awarded the Judy Clayman Scholarship for exemplary academics and commitment to Endicott’s sport management program. She graduates in May 2024.
“I plan on applying to grad school but I’m not quite sure where yet,” Nally said. “I would love to get a graduate assistant position at a college within their athletic department.”