Five deserving McCormack Department of Sport Management students will embark on internships this summer as recipients of the prestigious Tokio-Marine HCC (TMHCC) Scholarship Awards.
Founded by sport management alumnus Bill Hubbard, in conjunction with Tokio-Marine HCC, the scholarship program provides $5,000 to each recipient. In addition to supporting students with the expenses of their internships, the award program seeks to make students more aware of the significance and impact of risk management, risk transfer, and promotion insurance within the sport and entertainment industry, as well as of the career opportunities within this critical and growing segment of the industry.
“Internships are a crucial part of our students’ learning experience and resume building as they prepare for full-time jobs within the sport and entertainment industry,” said Steve McKelvey, chair of the McCormack Department of Sport Management. “The opportunity to receive substantial financial awards through Bill Hubbard’s generous gift further encourages and incentivizes our students to pursue summer internships that they might not otherwise be able to pursue.”
This year’s Tokio-Marine HCC Award winners are:
“I’m excited and honored to receive this award,” said rising senior Kaelo DeStefano. With this scholarship, DeStefano will be able to stay in his hometown of New York City for the summer, working with the Sports Philanthropy Network. “I’ll work to make the most of this internship and hope it will be amongst the highlights on my resume.”
“It is a tremendous honor to be a 2023 Tokio-Marine HCC Scholarship recipient,” said graduate student Brooke Osmanski. “The scholarship has opened new doors for me that otherwise I would not have had the opportunity to walk through. This summer, I will now be able to attend networking opportunities related to elevating women's sports, particularly with the NWSL. This is pivotal to my internship experience as it will help me focus my summer on taking the next best steps towards shaping my future career after UMass.”
“The risk management and sport promotion industries only continue to grow, and touch every single segment of the sport and entertainment industry,” said Hubbard, chairman of Tokio-Marine HCC. “For today’s students, there can be financial challenges that can arise especially from unpaid internships. This program not only helps alleviate some of these financial challenges but also introduces students to our segment of the sport and entertainment industry.”
As part of the educational process, at the conclusion of summer internships, the award recipients will be provided the opportunity to present a risk management assessment or proposal to TMHCC executives based on key learnings from their respective internship experiences for the chance to be awarded an additional $5,000.