A Voice for Women in Sports
As we countdown to Commencement, we're spotlighting Endicott’s outstanding 2024 graduates. Learn more about Percival Sibanda ’24, , Carissa Szabo ’24, Madison Durfee ’24, Tiago Frazao ’24, and Noah Macallister ’24.
Celia Mastromattei ’24 is a “glass-half-full kind of girl.” Her optimism comes from an upbringing that taught her to work for everything and take nothing for granted.
Early independence was a necessity for Mastromattei. Her parents divorced when she was in kindergarten, and her father wasn’t present for her or her older sister. For Mastromattei, this all-female dynamic at home has been a driving force to become a positive voice for women.
“My family life is just me, my mom, and my sister, so it’s been a household of female empowerment,” she said, noting that her grandmother was also an important role model. “My mom is one of my heroes, so the way she viewed things is how I view them. I’ve learned perseverance from her—no matter what was going on, she never let it get the best of her.”
With her mother juggling multiple jobs to support the family, there were days when Mastromattei would wake up in the morning, leave for school, and be asleep by the time her mother got home.
“My mom was working to provide for us,” she said, “so I had to mature at a younger age.”
Outside of her close family unit, Mastromattei found additional community through athletics. At Westwood (Mass.) High School, she settled on field hockey, basketball, and softball, and became addicted to the camaraderie that comes with being part of a team. She wanted to continue that in college and knew Endicott was the right place when she met field hockey coach Jodi Cipolla, who shared her team-first attitude. Meanwhile, pursuing a sport management major meant Mastromattei could find a career that would keep athletics in her life.
Whether in the field hockey locker room or elsewhere, Mastromattei (an admitted karaoke junkie) is “not a quiet leader.” As a senior co-captain, she was the one who gave motivational speeches before games and took it upon herself to “get everyone into the right headspace. Sports get everyone in the same mindset at the same time, which is what I love,” she said.
It was in high school that Mastromattei first noticed a disparity in how male and female athletes were valued. While the football team was often celebrated, girls’ teams playing on the same night were an afterthought.
“Something as simple as girls not getting warm-up music over the loudspeaker on the field bothered me,” she said, “because we would put in just as much hard work and get no recognition for it.”
That knowledge was a catalyst for Mastromattei in her work as an Endicott campus ambassador for Women in Sports and Events (WISE). In that role, Mastromattei recruited others to participate in networking events that promoted connecting and socializing with like-minded individuals.
Last spring, Mastromattei teamed up with a classmate to pitch “Empower: Women in Sport,” an app that sent the duo to the final round of Endicott’s annual Spark Tank competition and gave Mastromattei the chance to create a platform to exclusively showcase female athletes.
“Since I was always aware of the lack of equality in the sports world,” she said, “the idea was to create a space where women are the spotlight.”
In seeking post-graduation employment, Mastromattei has primarily targeted opportunities with women’s professional sports organizations. Her internships at Endicott have helped her narrow her focus within the industry. She’s been a game-day operations intern with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League; shadowed the Mashpee Middle-High School athletic director (a valuable experience that also taught her that she might not want to work on the administrative side of sports); and interned for the social media app Trophycase, a one-stop sports biography hub that allows athletes to share their career progress.
During the 2023-24 season, Mastromattei was on the TD Garden court as a corporate partnership intern for every Boston Celtics home game. Being in the middle of the action, with close-up access to NBA stars, was a dream and an experience that also offered further clarity.
“I realized I liked the business communications and marketing side of sport management,” said Mastromattei. “I liked the behind-the-scenes work and creating partnerships with companies. My internship with the Celtics opened a new door for me in the sports industry.”
The yearlong opportunity with the Celtics, a job Mastromattei made happen through her initiative and savvy networking, came with plenty of perks. She often was responsible for escorting VIPs, including former Celtics Paul Pierce, Leon Powe, and Dana Barros, to greet fans.
“And every night I was inches away from Celtics stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown,” she said. “It’s just really cool to be in the middle of that.”
The internship program at Endicott forced Mastromattei to take initiative, reach out to strangers, and embrace networking opportunities to get what she wants. She’s grateful to the College for helping her fulfill her potential to the max—and to her family for planting the seed of self-confidence.
“My family life has taught me that I can do everything I ever dreamed of doing,” she said. “Being able to prove that I can get through anything is very important to me.”