This month, we welcomed Kaitlin Rowan. Kaitlin was a great teammate when she interned with the development team this past summer, and given her background in sports and in working with youth, we’re excited to have her on board to provide programming through our partners across the country! Now I’ll let her introduce herself in her own words…
Hey y’all! My name is Kaitlin, and I am the newest Program Coordinator with the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. I am very excited to get started with the programming team. A little about myself, I grew up in a small town in Montgomery County, Maryland. I attended Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, where I was a Division III volleyball and softball player. After graduation, I moved to Tennessee to complete my master’s degree in kinesiology with a concentration in sport psychology at the University of Tennessee (UT). While at UT, I served as the physical education intern for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley and worked as a mental skills coach for an elite youth soccer team, FC Alliance.
My time as an athlete is what originally introduced me to cultivating character in children. As a student athlete, I was a volunteer teacher for an organization, Character Counts, and provided weekly programming to elementary and middle school students to help them take charge of their future and reach their full potential. I was inspired with the progress I saw in the children that I worked with and I knew I wanted to continue on that path. My experience as an intern for the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation is what led me to reach out to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley. While with the BGC of Tennessee Valley, I had the privilege of working with the staff to implement their Club FIT program.
I am so thrilled to be back in Maryland working for such an incredible organization. I wish you all the very best. Let’s make this a fun and exciting year!
Follow Kaitlin on Twitter as she works with partners across the country to help kids develop uncommon character “The Ripken Way” at @Kaitlin_CRSF.