Arlington, Texas— The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation today announced the inaugural class for the Charley Pride Fellowship Program, offering rising college students a ten-week internship opportunity with the team’s front office.

The new Fellowship Program honors the late Country Music legend, who had a strong connection to the Texas Rangers organization for more than 50 years. The details of the program were in the process of being finalized when Mr. Pride passed away on December 12, 2020 at the age of 86. The creation of the program was announced on March 18, 2021 on what would have been Mr. Pride’s 87th birthday.

The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation and the Parrish Charitable Foundation of prominent Dallas businessman Roland Parrish are partnering on the Charley Pride Fellowship Program. The initiative was also created with input from Mr. Pride’s family, including his wife Rozene Pride.

The Charley Pride Fellowship Program was established to help create a launching pad for students from diverse backgrounds looking to gain baseball front office experience. The program is designed for the students to gain valuable cross-disciplinary skills that will benefit them should they choose to pursue a career in professional baseball or any other industry.

The inaugural Charley Pride Fellowship Program Class of 2021:

Charley Pride Fellow Hometown Year School

Kendall Coleman Rockwall, TX Junior University of North Carolina

Ashley Go Vienna, VA Senior American University

Cornysia Island Lancaster, TX Junior Fisk University

Neemekh Mudvari Puebla, Mexico Senior University of Texas at Arlington

Jordan Thomas New Orleans, LA Grad Student Temple University

The 2021 Charley Pride Fellows were selected after an extensive application and interview process by the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation. They began their Fellowships this week in Arlington with the program going through the first week in August.

The Foundation will train and support the five Fellows as they transition through a ten-week rotation within different Texas Rangers Baseball Club departments. Each Fellow will do a three-department rotation based on their interests while working approximately 20 hours per week.

Those departments available for these fellows to work include, IT Operations & Applications, Sports & Entertainment, Baseball Operations, Partnerships & Client Services, Communications, Marketing, Ballpark Entertainment, Promotions & Production, Ticket Sales & Service, and Business Analytics & Ticket Strategy.

The students will be observing firsthand what front office executives experience and deal with on a daily basis while introducing them to the business of baseball.

Information on application process for the 2022 Charley Pride Fellowship Program will be announced later this year. More information can be found at texasrangers.com/foundation.