Jada Richardson of Suwanee, Ga., was one of 20 diverse college and graduate students to take part in the inaugural Pathways Internship Program during the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. She is currently a sophomore at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she became an inaugural member of the women’s golf team with the program’s launch in Fall 2021.
Tell us how you got started with golf.
My dad introduced me around first grade by signing me up for a summer camp at a local course. But I didn’t really get interested in the game until middle school, when I started taking lessons. Once I picked the game back up, I started to play competitively and eventually got in contact with Coach [Sam] Puryear at Howard and got recruited to play on the team.
How impactful was the exposure that you gained from the internship?
It was super important. I didn’t realize how many opportunities existed before the internship, but getting to experience golf from that aspect was incredible. I want to go to law school and one of the things I got to do was speak to a few sports attorneys. That was a cool opportunity and something that I’ve now put on my radar.
How has the internship shaped your future career goals?
One way is through exposure – getting exposed to opportunities and possible jobs in the industry has really helped me expand on the idea of what I want to do in the future. The second is the connections. I’ve been able to reach back out to some of the people I met, such as Dr. [James] Cash [senior associate dean emeritus at Harvard Business School] and Adam Grossman [chief marketing officer, Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Management]. The opportunity to get to know those people and have them as contacts is significant and something that will help me in the future.
What was a highlight of the internship?
Two things – getting to take a picture with [U.S. Open champion] Matt Fitzpatrick and the trophy after the championship was over, and secondly, just meeting the other interns. None of us really knew what to expect going in but we had a really great group. We come from different backgrounds, but it was beautiful to see us connect and become friends, and there are people I still talk with to this day.
You’ve had the unique opportunity to experience a few firsts: first class of the Pathways Internship and first season of Howard women’s golf. What’s been your biggest takeaway from that?
For me, it’s about representation – to go to events like the U.S. Open and be on the Howard women’s golf team and represent other Black girls has been an incredible experience. I hope that by having myself in these spaces, other young Black girls see themselves reflected in me and know that they too can be in the golf industry, because it’s meant for people like us as well. It’s something I’m really passionate about.
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There are more than two million jobs within the $84 billion golf industry, but only a small fraction are held by those from underrepresented communities. As part of the ongoing effort to address those imbalances, the USGA and The Country Club launched the Lee Elder Internship Program at the U.S. Open in 2022. Now called the Pathways Internship Program, the 10-day immersive experience exposes 20 diverse college and graduate students to different careers in golf by providing training, education and networking opportunities. Learn more.
