Nine students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were selected as recipients of the 2025 Carolina Blue Honors Fellowship to pursue unique and self-initiated summer internships built around international sports entrepreneurship.
The Carolina Blue Honors Fellowship was established in 2015 with a gift from UNC-Chapel Hill alumnus Ricky May. Its purpose is to recognize ambitious undergraduate students who possess a strong work ethic and sense of adventure, and it is open to all Carolina students who meet the eligibility criteria. The fellowship provides up to $6,500 to fund individuals who seek to gain experience in the business of sports while traveling abroad and supporting the growth of a small venture. The number of annual awards and the amount of funding were both increased as a result of the fellowship’s growth and Ricky’s dedication to students’ education and development.
Since its start in 2015, the Carolina Blue Honors Fellowship has funded 21 fellows to intern for organizations in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Colombia, England, Greece, Singapore, Spain, Denmark, Argentina, and South Africa in addition to one US-based experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fellowship now adds nine dynamic students to make the number jump to 30 total fellows throughout its history.
“This year’s cohort is especially exciting for me in that the Fellows are going to work in nine different countries,” says Ricky May. “Costa Rica, Belgium, Scotland and Mexico for the first time. I don’t think we could have imagined that the Fellowship would grow to that extent.”
Rafael Bonamigo Valls (’27) is from Porto Alegre, Brazil and resides in Mooresville, NC. He is double majoring in Sport Administration and Economics with a minor in Business. This summer, he will travel to San Jose, Costa Rica to intern with Deportivo Saprissa, a professional soccer club. Rafael will work with the team’s business department to analyze data related to sponsors, partners, and teams. He will also enhance the club’s technical development by implementing player performance analysis systems during training sessions and games.
Coco Boyden (’28) is from Marin County, CA and is double majoring in Media and Journalism with a focus in Advertising and Public Relations and Pre-Business. For her Carolina Blue Fellowship, Coco will travel to Gansbaai, South Africa where she will intern with the Grootbos Foundation, contributing to youth sports development and enhancing the foundation’s communication strategies to support their impactful community programs.
Charly Bruder (’27) is a sophomore from Malvern, Pennsylvania majoring in Global Studies. This summer, she will travel to London, England for her Carolina Blue Fellowship. Charly will be working as a sports management intern for Middlesex Cricket Club. The internship will allow her to gain hands-on experience with the financial foundations of the club while also exploring its operations from a marketing perspective, through ticket sales.
Adele Guta (’26) is a junior from Holly Springs, NC majoring in Exercise and Sport Science. This summer, she is interning with Red Deporte, an NGO based in Madrid, Spain, that empowers local underrepresented communities through sport and education. For her internship, she will facilitate sports activities for children in the after-school program and summer camp. She will also create and teach health-related lessons and work to expand the organization’s social media outreach.
Jane Halpern (’26) is from Boca Raton, Florida, and is a double major in Political Science and Sport Administration at UNC. She is passionate about international sports business, athlete health, and injury prevention. Jane will work with OnTracx, a Belgium-based sports technology startup specializing in biomechanics and injury prevention. OnTracx develops advanced wearable technology that analyzes running mechanics to reduce injury risk. Drawing from her experience as a sports medicine intern with UNC Football, she aims to support OnTracx’s expansion into the U.S. market while gaining insights into sports science and technology.
Anna Laible (’26) is a sophomore from Lehighton, Pennsylvania majoring in Media and Journalism and minoring in Entrepreneurship. Previously, she has had the privilege of being selected by UNC to cover the Paris Olympics and the 2025 Super Bowl. For her Carolina Blue Fellowship, she will travel to Glasgow, Scotland to work primarily on the production side for QTV by helping in the control room for professional sporting events all throughout Scotland.
Julia Montgomery (’27) is from Dallas, Texas majoring in Media and Journalism with a focus in Advertising and Public Relations at UNC’s Hussman School. This summer, she will be interning with Brandarrays, an advertising firm in Mexico City that works exclusively with New Balance Mexico. New Balance sponsors the Liga MX team Toluca FC and does extensive promotional work with them. While she is in Mexico City, they’ll be launching the new Toluca FC kit for the Fall 2025 Apertura season, giving her an exciting opportunity to be part of a major campaign.
Celeste Reid (’27) was born in Los Angeles but has lived in seven cities around the United States throughout her lifetime. She is pursuing degrees in Environmental Studies and Global Studies. Outside of her majors, learning languages, including Japanese, has been a long-term passion. This summer, she will be interning with Japan’s Hiroshima Toyo Carp baseball team, in their Marketing and Stadium Management departments. She plans to learn more about customer service, operation management, and event coordination, in addition to polishing her Japanese language skills.
Kennedy Turner (’27) is a sophomore from Durham, NC, majoring in Sport Administration and Media and Journalism with a concentration in Advertising and Public Relations. In the sports industry, she is interested in pursuing a career in event management and marketing for a team or league, particularly in professional basketball. For her Carolina Blue Fellowship, she is excited to travel to Kilsyth, Australia, outside of Melbourne, to collaborate with the Kilsyth Basketball Organization as an intern in their media and communication departments.
To be selected as a Carolina Blue Honors Fellow, an applicant must provide convincing evidence of a long-standing interest in sports and an entrepreneurial spirit through an application, recommendation letters, and an interview. The proposed fellowship experience should enable students to embark on a summer internship focused on learning and working in the business of sports, with particular preference for an entrepreneurial setting.
Read more about the Carolina Blue Honors Fellowship here.
Carolina Blue Honors Fellowship contact: Gina Difino, (919) 962-9680, Gina_Difino@unc.edu
