Turning Passion Into A Career: 2023 WiST Fellowship Announcement
San Francisco, CA – April 13, 2023
“At that time, I was just a data science student enthusiastic about basketball but with little knowledge of sports analytics, feeling like a rookie about to face the pros. I never thought I could turn my passion into a career.”
Sherry Zhang, a University of Michigan Master's student studying Big Data Analytics, was first introduced to Women in Sports Tech (WiST) at the Women in Sports Data Hackathon & Symposium hosted by the Brooklyn Nets & New York Liberty where WiST co-presented the symposium last August.
In WiST’s sixth year of the WiST Fellowship program, Zhang has been selected as a 2023 WiST Fellow, along with 21 other talented undergraduates, graduates and PhD students enrolled at 20 different universities and spanning 21 different degrees and programs across the U.S.
“After attending my first Sports Data conference I realized I could actually combine my love for data science and sports into a fulfilling career in sports analytics. Meeting these talented and motivated women further strengthened my desire to be part of this community,” Zhang says.
“Upon discovering the WiST Fellowship and its plethora of internship opportunities in sports analytics, I knew I had to shoot my shot and apply right away to learn, grow, and become a part of this inspiring community. I'll be analyzing MLB data and uncovering hidden gems in those stats. I'm eager to learn how data analytics turns the numbers into game-changing insights.”
In a full circle experience, WiST Partner Stats Perform sponsored the Hackathon and would soon provide Sherry’s first opportunity to dive into the world of sports analytics and gain hands-on experience as a 2023 WiST Fellow and Stats Perform Data Insights Intern.
Supporting transformative growth opportunities for women and employers, Stats Perform and other WiST partners such as IBM, GameChanger, HOKA, Sports Reference and Comcast Sports Tech provide ongoing validation for the WiST Fellowship program, highlighting sports tech as an industry ripe with exciting career opportunities for women.
“The WiST Fellowship Program proactively places exceptional women within organizations, affording them the opportunity to break through and learn from their respective host companies. This program is immensely valuable not only for the Fellows but also for the participating companies, who often struggle to identify talented female candidates in a sea of male counterparts,” says Nancy Hensley, Chief Product Officer and Chief Marketing Officer of Stats Perform and WiST Advisor.
The WiST Fellowship uniquely benefits host companies by tapping into the next generation of diverse ideas and new perspectives, with research supporting that diverse teams and inclusive cultures drive innovation.
“I hope for us to absorb the unique insights and fresh perspectives that our Fellows bring to the table, as such innovative thinking can serve as the impetus for growth. It is imperative that we wholeheartedly embrace this potential, as evidenced by this recently released research out of McKinsey,” adds Hensley.
The Class of 2023 results from extensive outreach and a comprehensive selection process where candidates were evaluated on leadership potential, work ethic, and a strong growth mindset to enter the sports tech industry. This also marks the first year the program is specifically open to nonbinary students who may not identify as she/her.
“We welcome this talented and ambitious group of students to the WiST community and congratulate each on becoming a 2023 WiST Fellow. Our partners like Stats Perform support and respect the WiST Fellowship Program for the extraordinary experiences for the Fellows and host companies alike,” said Marilou McFarlane, CEO+Founder of WiST. “It is rewarding beyond measure for us to see how many of the students end up working for their host companies or other WiST Partners after they graduate. We are, in fact, changing the ratio and building more inclusive business cultures.”
For more information, visit WomeninSportsTech.org.
Congratulations to the 2023 WiST Fellows:
Abigail Snyder - University of Virginia - USOPC
Anna Matchey - University of Wisconsin Madison - SRAM
Avery Kratzer - Boston University - svexa
Brielle Smith - Stanford University - OURA
Brooke Osmanski - University of Massachusetts Amherst - GameChanger
Christie Chen - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Zoomph
Claire Wanzer - University of Delaware - Next League
Deanna Deyhim - UCLA - UFC
Isabel Alfonso - Syracuse University - Stats Perform
Jordan Doyle - Kalamazoo College - Sports Reference
Kahlia Hogg - Duke University - IBM
Laryn Edwards - Providence College - Comcast Sports Tech
Lina Sinsheimer - Duke University - FEVO
Madaket Chiarieri - University of Notre Dame - Chicago Blackhawks
Madeline Demers - Cornell University - Hammerhead
Margot Douillet - University of Massachusetts Amherst - New York Mets
Mary Stack - Boston College - HOKA
Nasya Anderson - University of Maryland College Park - Catapult
Nevaeh Bray - Jackson State University - GameChanger
Rachel Comfort - Drew University - Austin FC
Sherry Zhang - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor - Stats Perform
Trisha Mukherjee - Ithaca College - Acushnet/Titleist
Media Contact
Emma Henzes - Women in Sports Tech, Marketing + Content Manager
About WiST
Women in Sports Tech (WiST) is a nonprofit organization that drives transformative growth opportunities for women in sports tech and innovation at all stages of their careers, from the classroom to the boardroom. WiST develops and delivers innovative programs, original content and a global community that provide tangible value for women and employers alike.
Its flagship initiative, the WiST Fellowship Program, provides internship experiences for highly motivated college, graduate PhD female and nonbinary students to pursue summer projects in the sports tech industry. Additional WiST programs include the WiST NETWORK career hub, the single source for diverse hiring in the sports tech industry, the WiST Next Gen Resource Hub “Discover Sports Tech” for high school students, and the original content series WiST Presents, featuring female talent at all levels working in sports tech.
WiST is supported by donations from numerous corporations and organizations, including Australian Sports Technologies Network, Catapult Sports, Comcast NBCU, DICK’S Game Changer, FEVO, HOKA, IBM Sports, the NBA, Next League, Nike, Perch, PointsBet, Shorewind Capital, Sports Reference, SRAM, Stats Perform, Tempus Ex, Titleist, the USOPC, Zoomph and more. WiST has provided an array of diverse panelists for learning experiences at Hashtag Sports, CES, SIGA, SXSW, the Stanford GSB Sports Innovation Conference, and more. For more information, please visit womeninsportstech.org.
