Converse University sports management major Kylie Brazill had an opportunity to go to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, LA as an official Super Bowl Brand Ambassador. (Converse University photo) 

Kylie Brazill

Converse University Sports Management major scores role at Super Bowl

Courtesy of Converse University

Converse University student-athlete Kylie Brazill ’26 is not one to shy away from a challenge. With a goal of working a large sporting event, Kylie went through the arduous application process and earned a position to work at the 2025 Super Bowl.

A Business Administra-tion major with a concentration in Sports Manage-ment at Converse, Kylie was undeterred by the months-long application and interview process. In February 2025, Kylie joined the massive team of staff at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX as an official Super Bowl Brand Ambassador.

Read firsthand from Kylie about the application process and the dedication to pursuing a dream, in her own words.

“My name is Kylie Brazill, and I am from Geneva, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. I am a Sports Management Major and a student-athlete on the Converse University soccer team.

I began my application and interview process back in September of 2024, applying to every job, volunteer, and internship opportunity I could find. My goal was to work at a large-scale event like the Super Bowl to gain hands-on experience, expand my knowledge, and strengthen my resume.

My first acceptance came from the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee as a volunteer, which was an exciting opportunity. However, the role would involve volunteering at events outside of the stadium. I wanted to be right in the middle of the action and also get paid to help offset travel costs from South Carolina to Louisiana, so I continued my search for a paid position.

In early November 2024, I was invited to my first virtual interview for a paid Super Bowl Brand Ambassador role with a company assisting in staffing the event. I felt the interview went well but wasn’t sure what to expect.

The waiting period was nerve-wracking, but two weeks later, I received a “Welcome to the Team” email. I was ecstatic; I knew it was the perfect opportunity to learn and grow. Without hesitation, I accepted the position and began planning my travel logistics. I later had another virtual interview with a second Super Bowl staffing company and was offered a position there as well. Although my primary roles were with the Host Committee and the first staffing company, I kept this third opportunity as a backup. It allowed me the flexibility to pick up extra shifts whenever I had time, giving me more exposure to different aspects of the event.

One of the most exciting parts of my new role was working at the Super Bowl Experience, essentially a theme park for football fans.

The Super Bowl Experience lasted for four days leading up to the Super Bowl and included activities like meet-and-greets with players, flag football games, clinics, activations, autographs, and museum-like artifacts from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It gave locals a chance to experience the Super Bowl and NFL in a way that was much more affordable than attending the game itself. The Super Bowl Experience allowed fans to truly feel like they were a part of the event, and I was thrilled to be a part of it.

I spent an entire week working in New Orleans, during which I took on various roles throughout the event. While the long workdays, ranging from 10 to 14 hours, could be stressful at times, these challenges ultimately helped me become more adaptable, quick-thinking, and flexible. My responsibilities varied each day. I helped run fan activations and games, managed lines, gave directions, and handed out memorabilia. I also made sure everything was running smoothly behind the scenes and even acted as security at times, ensuring restricted areas stayed clear.

One of the standout moments of my experience was being a Float Ambassador, tossing beads to fans as they made their way down the street to the stadium on the day of the Super Bowl. I also walked through the crowd, handing out beads and even offering tips on what merchandise to buy. The energy and excitement were contagious, and even though I hadn’t yet entered the stadium, it was truly one of the most memorable highlights of my time there.

If you’re truly passionate about something, there are ways to get involved, you just might need to look a little harder and dig a little deeper. Don’t get discouraged, and be patient because eventually, you will find something. For anyone seeking opportunities like this, I would advise you to take them when they come your way.

Always say yes to the opportunity. For me, this meant traveling to Louisiana, a place I’d never been, and stepping into the world of professional football—something completely new for me since my background was in professional soccer. I didn’t know much about the NFL, and I was heading to a new city on my own, knowing no one. I was definitely outside my comfort zone. But looking back, I’m incredibly grateful I took the chance. I gained so much knowledge, met incredible people, built meaningful connections, and had an unforgettable experience.

The most important thing is to seize the opportunity and learn along the way. I’d encourage everyone to step out of their comfort zone and embrace new challenges.” 

Spartanburg resident named President of S.C. Women in Leadership

South Carolina Women in Leadership recently announced its 2025 Board of Directors, led by newly appointed President Rebecca Barnett, manager of Corporate Strategy at Milliken & Company.

Officials said Barnett, a strategic leader and lifelong community advocate, brings her commitment to equity, service, and innovation to the role.

A resident of Spartan-burg, she also serves on the Boards of Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas, PAL (Play. Advocate. Live Well.), and on Milliken’s Women’s Alliance Steering Committee.

“Rebecca is the right leader at the right time for SC WIL,” said Sara Ballard, executive director of SC WIL. “Her strategic mind and deep community roots reflect our organizational values —collaboration, integrity, civility, and multipartisanship.”

Ballard added, “Under her leadership and with the strength of this new board, we are poised to grow our work and deepen our impact across South Carolina.”

Officials said SC WIL’s 2025 Board of Directors represents a powerful coalition of leaders from diverse backgrounds, professions, and regions — each committed to a future where women are equally represented in civic leadership.

“Our board brings a breadth of experience and a shared dedication to creating a more representative and respectful democracy,” Ballard said. “Together, they’ll guide SC WIL’s efforts to ensure fair voting, reduce polarization, and fill the leadership pipeline with qualified women.”

Laura Allen, Children’s Cancer Partners of the Carolinas, Spartanburg, was named Chair of the Development Committee.

SC WIL empowers women to lead in elected and appointed office through training, connections, and resources.

The group is committed to building public leadership that is representative of the communities they serve and prioritizes ethical leadership and civil discourse.

AmplifiedAg's vertical farms, grown in recycled shipping containers, grow lettuce in water instead of soil. Similar modules will be placed at Camille Graham women's prison later this year. (Provided/AmplifiedAg) 

SC prison’s vertical farming program gets grant to help pay inmates

By: Skylar Laird for SC Daily Gazette

www.scdailygazette.com

Columbia - Beginning in July, inmates at South Carolina’s women’s prison will be able to receive agricultural training and a stipend upon release with the help of a statewide grant program.

The South Carolina philanthropy Power:Ed announced a $97,000 grant in June to the nonprofit Impact Justice, which is working with the state Department of Corrections to run the agricultural program at the state’s prison for women.

Beyond growing an expected 48,000 pounds of lettuce each year for the prison’s kitchens, the program is meant to train women in the fast-growing field of hydroponics, which means growing plants in water instead of soil, to help them get jobs soon after leaving prison.

Starting July 7, between 15 and 20 women incarcerated at Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution will begin a five-month course on food safety, agricultural technology and hydroponics, both in a classroom and through hands-on work, said Kelly Danner, who leads the program for California-based Impact Justice.

The first group of women will start work at an existing prison greenhouse while construction continues on the eight containers that will house the prison’s vertical farms. With $350,000 in state money and $850,000 from a private donation, the prison system got the initial go-ahead on the project in 2023.

The 9-foot-tall, 8-foot-wide containers should be ready for use this fall, Danner said.

Once a woman who has completed the program leaves prison, she will receive a $1,450 stipend for the training she’s already completed. That will equate to receiving the federal minimum wage of $7.25 for an estimated 200 hours of work she did while in prison.

That “should hopefully be a meaningful amount to help get them on their feet when they’re released,” Danner said.

A job using the skills each woman learned while incarcerated will hopefully be soon to follow, as a program manager coordinates with local agricultural businesses to help find the women steady employment, Danner said.

The grant, which was part of the $1 million Power:Ed distributes annually, will help cover the stipends, the program manager’s pay and food safety certifications for women in the program, said Claire Gibbons, executive director of Power:Ed, which is based in Columbia.

Impact Justice, through its Growing Justice program, will also help coordinate transportation, child care and housing for women in the program to ensure they’re able to get to work, Danner said.

“It’s not enough for us to offer robust training and place them in jobs if then they can’t sustain those jobs,” Danner said.

The ultimate goal is to keep the women from reoffending and going back to prison, as can often be the case when a person with no safety net leaves prison and finds themselves right back where they were before, if not worse off, Danner said.

That was a key reason Power:Ed decided to help fund the program. As the philanthropy arm of SC Student Loan Corp., Power:Ed looks for programs that bolster access to education and pathways to employment, which this program does, Gibbons said.

“Savings that meet basic needs, like housing, food, and support for children is the key to reentry success for women and enables a successful job placement and retention,” Gibbons said in a news release. “We hope it will become a workforce development model that can be replicated across South Carolina.”

The one-year grant from Power:Ed will help cover the costs for Impact Justice, which currently has enough money to fund the program for at least three years.

South Carolina already touts a low re-incarceration rate for recently released prisoners. Fewer than 1 in 5 inmates return to prison within three years of release, which is the lowest among states that report three-year recidivism rates, according to an annual report from Virginia’s prisons agency.

State prison officials have credited the state’s job training and work programs with playing a large part in helping reduce its re-incarceration rates. Among those are other agricultural programs that teach inmates to train horses, milk dairy cows, tend row crops and harvest honey.

California-based Impact Justice is working to establish a similar program at a prison in Chowchilla, California, by the end of the year. Also in the works is a growing program to train people who have recently been released from prison in vertical farming, according to its website.

South Carolina’s program will be the first vertical farm on a prison’s campus in the country, state officials have said.

While the state offers other job training and reentry programs for inmates, Impact Justice’s goal is to create a more comprehensive service that could potentially expand to other prisons across both the state and the country, Danner said.

“Growing Justice is really a triple win,” said Alex Busansky, founder and president of Impact Justice, in a news release. “We’re equipping incarcerated women with the skills they need to thrive in a high-tech environment, seeding the South Carolina job market with new, qualified talent and delivering fresh produce to prison kitchens that typically lack access to locally grown fruits and vegetables.”