Don’t ever count yourself out. Don’t discount the degree you have because it’s from a smaller state school. I am very proud of BSU, we can do just as much as those who are at the big-name schools
A year after leading the Bridgewater State University women’s basketball program as team captain, Caroline Tripp, ’24, traded in her jersey for some NCAA credentials, stepping off the hardwood of the Adrian Tinsley Center onto the national stage at the association’s Division I women’s basketball championship in Tampa, Florida.
Tripp was one of 33 interns from across the country selected to participate in the NCAA’s year-long postgraduate internship program.
Shortly after graduating from BSU with a degree in communications, Tripp packed her bags and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. Her internship involved promoting the NCAA Division I women’s basketball program, that included working the championship game where UConn beat South Carolina in Tampa, 82-59.
“Being able to say in my first year as a working professional that I played a hand in executing one of the biggest events in sports, it’s been a really cool experience,” Tripp said.
Over the past year she’s worked on many projects leading up to the championship game. Tripp traveled to South Carolina to help organize a high school skills tournament at the NCAA college basketball academy and spent a week at the University of Arizona to learn first-hand how a Division I basketball program is run.
“It’s a lot different than BSU,” Tripp said, but appreciates her time as a Bear and playing at the Division 3 level. “We filled Tinsley every home game, you don’t always get that sort of environment to play in (Division I).”
She is also grateful for the sense of community Bridgewater offers, even at the top levels. It’s not uncommon for Tripp to check in with President Frederick W. Clark Jr. and Athletic Director Mary Beth Lamb when she comes back to visit the campus.
“At Division I, you wouldn’t be able to reach most presidents or athletic directors, but there is a sense of camaraderie at Division 3,” Tripp said. “It means a lot to me that I went to BSU. It gave me the ability to stand out. It gave me the opportunities to do what I want to do.”
As an undergraduate, Tripp also secured an internship with the Matt Light Foundation, founded by the former New England Patriot. Working out of the organization’s Sharon office, she gained experience in social media management, blogging, and developing proposals for donors and fundraising efforts.
Tripp is set to begin a new endeavor next month in Brunswick, Maine, where she will serve as Bowdoin College’s assistant director of athletic services.
As she continues to build her impressive resume, Tripp said her time as a student-athlete at BSU has contributed to her early career success.
“When I applied for this (NCAA) internship, I was up against kids from Clemson, Villanova, Louisville, LSU…all the big schools and at first was like, I’m not sure if I should be here,” Tripp said. “But don’t ever count yourself out. Don’t discount the degree you have because it’s from a smaller state school. I am very proud of BSU, we can do just as much as those who are at the big-name schools.”
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