connections are lifelong and we are still in contact to this day which is something I cherish.
A part of the PGA Golf Management Leadership Conference that I was most excited about was the opportunity to connect with other PGA Golf Management students from other programs and learn from their experiences. We all have held leadership positions in our programs, so we were able to come together and discuss ideas from each others programs that have been a success. We discussed our past internship experiences. It was amazing to see how all of our networks intertwined and we all had mutual connections that we did not know about. The most important part of this was to learn about how we can create ideas that keep the Programs fresh and successful in the future. It was great getting to hear and express all the ideas that were discussed, and I am confident that the Mississippi State PGA Golf Management program will continue to be a success and improve from all of these discussions. We also had the opportunity to meet with the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Honorary President of the PGA of America. This was very motivating to be able to connect with the great leaders in our industry and to be able to spend valuable time with them is something I will always cherish. Then, we ate lunch with groups of past PGA Presidents. I sat with Mr. Tom Addis, who insisted that I call him whenever I want for advice and I still do whenever I need help. This experience was amazing and is something I still am so grateful for because they are so interested in us as PGM students. They want to help us out as much as possible and they really do care about us. I always highly encourage students to take advantage of the past PGA President and District Director lunches at the PGA show in the spring because you truly will gain a great connection with the most influential people in the golf business that really do want to help you succeed and be the best PGA Professional you can be.
I am so grateful for the networking opportunities that were presented at the PGA Annual Meeting. Some of the best PGA Professionals were in the same room as me and every single one of them was more than happy to share their experiences as well as listen to mine. I am very grateful for Jeff Adkerson, who
was able to take me around and introduce me to more people than I ever thought I would have met that week. The conversations I had just by introducing myself were so memorable and all of the men and women were more than happy to spend time to speak with me. This really proved to me how grateful I am to be a part of the PGA of America.
It was such a pleasure to be able to represent the Mississippi State University PGA Golf Management program at the 2019 PGA Annual meeting and Leadership Conference. Becoming a leader within our program has been a goal of mine since starting here as a freshman and I have never been more excited about being a part of such a great group of people. I know that my experience at the PGA Leadership conference will allow me to continue to improve myself and the students of the Mississippi State PGA Golf Management program. This experience has proven to me that we truly are a part of the best PGA Golf Management program in the country and we cannot take that for granted. I am so thankful for the staff and also the alumni who have built such a great program that students now, and in the future, can benefit from. I look forward to continuing to serve the PGA Golf Management Program and to be a mentor for students in the future as a PGA Professional.
17