Bentley Students Champion Local High Schoolers at Celtics Career Day
Just hours before the Boston Celtics took on Cleveland at TD Garden, 35 Boston-area high school students gathered at the Celtics headquarters for a different kind of pre-game huddle. As part of Celtics Career Day presented by Bentley University on February 28, the teens learned about the college admission process from Bentley representatives and shadowed Celtics front office staff to learn about off-the-court career opportunities in professional sports.
The program — which included collaboration with Boston Public Schools and 7uice Foundation — reflects a central goal of a multiyear Bentley-Celtics partnership: fostering impactful educational and growth opportunities for students from underrepresented communities in the Boston area. High school students got to meet with Celtics front office staff members to learn about their career paths and engage with Bentley student mentors who shared their college experiences and career plans. Bentley students expressed gratitude for the opportunity to give back — and learn more about careers in sports.
“In today’s economic marketplace there is no choice but for you to find a set of skills, attributes and passion — and talent and work ethic — that will prepare you to be successful in your post high school life,” Bentley President E. LaBrent Chrite said as he welcomed high school students and emphasized the many potential paths they could take. “If you’re looking at a college or university, make sure you understand what the outcomes are ... make sure that you’re going to have a return-on-investment ... Perhaps most critically, is it going to give you the skill set to be a value creator in today’s economy?”
Catch Career Day highlights. Video by Kevin Maguire.
GAME PLAN AND GRIT FOR THE WIN
Three Bentley alumni were among the Celtics front office staff on hand to share their career insights: Marketing Coordinator Autumn Ceppi, MBA ’23; Director of Scouting Remy Cofield MBA’14; and Sr. Group Sales Account Executive and Event Manager Sarah Eldemery ’14.
High school students connected with Celtics and Bentley representatives who emphasized that, no matter your background, successful and fulfilling careers are reachable through passion, hard work and education — whether that is college or another form of learning.
“I wanted to be a student ambassador for Career Day because I enjoy helping others and sharing my experiences,” says Suvasha Shrestha ’25, who is majoring in Marketing and was among six Bentley students serving as mentors. “As an admission fellow in Bentley’s Office of Undergraduate Admission, I always tell high school students to take advantage of any opportunities they get and to stay open to different career paths. Every experience, big or small, helps build confidence and can lead to unexpected opportunities. Career Day is a prime example of that.”
Shrestha took her own advice as she sat in on discussions with Bentley alumni who work at the Celtics. “My biggest takeaway is that working in sports is all about passion. Seeing professionals share their career journeys made me realize that success comes from taking new opportunities and always learning.”
Zach Ghazaryan ’26, a Finance and Technology (FinTech) major and member of the Celtics Partnership Student Board, facilitated conversations between the students and Celtics staff. “I was excited to help students explore career paths in the sports business and bridge the gap between business education and real-world opportunities. But I also gained insights into the financial and operational aspects of running a team. I was surprised by how much analytics and finance influence team decisions both on and off the court.”
Ghazaryan adds, “It was rewarding to give back by sharing my experiences and helping students navigate their career interests. I encouraged them to explore different fields, seek internships early and take advantage of networking opportunities. The best part was seeing how excited they were to learn about careers in the sports business.”
COLLEGE, CAREERS AND COURTSIDE LESSONS
Before shadowing Celtics front office staff, high school students got a glimpse into the college admission process from the Office of Undergraduate Admission and Bentley students.
“For me personally, the college admission process is something I never fully understood, so I feel that the high school students being able to hear from an admission counselor and current Bentley students offers a holistic perspective,” says Martha Atakora ’26, a double major in Accounting and Computer Information Systems. “And it’s been an amazing opportunity for me to be a student leader to them.”
Diego Marranzini ’25, a Finance major, says that serving as a Career Day student mentor was an extension of the work he does with middle school students through the Bentley Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center. “During Career Day the high school students were very curious about the different things that the Celtics have to offer and eager to learn from other people and get advice as they decide what they want to do after they graduate high school. It’s been cool to see how receptive they are — and honestly, it’s been eye-opening and a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me.”
Later in the day the group headed to TD Garden for on-court photos with Celtics players before watching a game against Cleveland.
“Bentley’s partnership with the Celtics makes me feel proud, and it gives us a chance to learn about the business side of sports,” Shrestha says. “Through this partnership, students get access to experiences that help them grow and explore different career paths. Visiting the Celtics headquarters and seeing how things operate in real life made the learning experience even more valuable.”
“As someone who has benefited from mentorship and exposure to different career paths, I wanted to pay that forward,” Renée Asafo-Adjei ’26 says of becoming a Bentley Career Day ambassador. She is a double major in Marketing and Public Relations. “My biggest takeaway is that passion and persistence are key in any career. Hearing from Celtics staff about their journeys, the challenges they faced, and the drive that kept them going was a reminder that success isn’t linear.”
She further notes that “seeing women in leadership positions within the Celtics organization was inspiring, as it reinforced the growing representation of women in sports careers. It was powerful to see how much impact representation has — just being in that space and sharing insights with younger students could be the spark that inspires them to chase their goals.”
Kary De Jesús ’25, a Marketing major and Bentley Career Day ambassador, says she was honored to share her story about coming from Puerto Rico to attend Bentley. “I talked about my experience when choosing what college would be best for me — and I hope in the end I was able to help at least one of the students there.
“From my perspective, it was amazing to hear from Bentley alumni who currently work at the Celtics headquarters,” she adds. “Listening to their experience from going to college and how they landed their job was incredible. My biggest takeaway is to never let rejection, whether that is from job applications or anything else, discourage you or hold you back. Every opportunity is worth pursuing, and even closed doors can open with persistence. You never know where your determination might lead you.”
