Three years after graduation, Abbie Charrier ’16 works with kids during her part-time gig of coaching and in her full-time job as the Assistant Director of Camps and Trips at the Alfond Youth Center. As Assistant Director, she works with two summer camp programs based in Oakland, ME: Camp Tracy and New England Sports Camps. She also organizes and attends the American Heritage Tours, which take eighth-grade students and their parents on week-long trips to Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, New York City, and Boston.

“At the camps, I work with youth athletes, coaches, and counselors to create an experience that teaches them skills for on and off the field. For tours, I organize meetings and prepare the students and parents for the experiences they will have on the trip,” said Abbie. “Both roles allow me to work on social media marketing, communications, fundraising, finance, management, and a lot more.”

A sport management graduate, Abbie says she puts her degree to use every day.

“I use the skills I learned in the seven math classes I took just as often as I use the skills I learned in the ten classes that had ‘sport’ attached to the course title. The demand to learn and understand each part of business, whether it is sport related or not, is what makes Thomas sport management graduates not only successful but also stand out from their peers,” she said.

Abbie says Thomas College’s sport management program is exceptional because the education is diverse and relatable.

“Each facet is taught by people who have done what they are teaching. I took Coaching from a coach, Accounting from an accountant, Business Law from a lawyer, and Sport Law from a U.S. Magistrate Judge. The list goes on,” she said. “The program Thomas has developed is top of the line and prepares students for their career, but the people teaching the curriculum are what set the program apart.”

Abbie felt very prepared taking on such a demanding position at the Alfond Youth Center because of her experience at Thomas.

“Thomas prepared me by offering the appropriate classes with outstanding professors. They also prepared me by showing how a business can be run successfully, while growing immensely, and continuously supplying their customers with the education and services they need to succeed.”

Abbie said attending Thomas College was the best decision she has ever made.

*This story was originally published in the Winter/Spring 2019 Thomas Magazine.