While balancing athletics and academics would seemingly leave little time for other campus activities, sophomore running back Jack Zamer, junior golfer Samantha Skinner and sophomore punter Carter Boyd have taken it upon themselves to build an on-campus organization from the ground up.
Zamer is a licensed real estate agent in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. He came to William and Mary hoping to learn more about the profession.
Growing up, Zamer gravitated toward the real estate field. After receiving his license and gaining assistance from his father who works in commercial real estate, Zamer was eager to enhance his skills and truly dive into the profession.
However, when he arrived at William and Mary, his expectations fell short.
“I came to this school with the hopes of learning more about real estate, but when I got here, there were only two classes offered on real estate in the entire business school,” Zamer said. “One of the courses was a one-credit elective that I couldn’t take due to conflict with the football season, since the class was only offered over a five-day period, and the other was only offered for graduate students.”
With limited resources, Zamer took it upon himself to fuel his passion for real estate in a different way.
“I was like, ‘Okay, if they don’t already have it, I will just make my own real estate resources at this school,’” he said.
Zamer enrolled in Assistant Provost for Entrepreneurship Graham Henshaw’s innovation and entrepreneurship course. It was there that he met senior Frederick Parse, and they sparked the idea to develop a real estate club on campus.
“Graham Henshaw was very helpful in the beginning,” Zamer said. “We basically took what we learned in that class and met with him outside, and he gave us a launching pad point of getting the club started.”
After developing the foundation for Real Estate Investment Club, Zamer and Parse discovered a team of other passionate entrepreneurs. Skinner, Boyd and junior pole vaulter Jordan Kinkead were quick to join Zamer’s mission, despite their respective athletic commitments.
At its core, Real Estate Investment Club provides anyone interested in pursuing a career in real estate or simply learning more about the field with the necessary education, network and practical experience.
“You don’t have to know much about real estate to get involved; you can just attend meetings and feel free to talk,” Skinner said. “You can learn a lot about the field, which can benefit you in the future and help you make a lot of money.”
As an athlete, however, Boyd struggled to find time to help run the organization.
“Football is a very large commitment, even out of season,” Boyd said. “Between meetings, lifts and practice, it takes up a huge portion of our day.”
Between the season, spring and summer practices and fall camp, the lack of a true off-season for football is another challenge Boyd has navigated.
“When I first got here, I struggled to manage football, academics and extracurriculars,” Boyd said. “I managed to train my brain and manage my time and was able to balance it all and get in a rhythm where all three commitments worked together.”
Skinner faced a similar challenge with striking a balance between academics and her busy golf schedule.
“Golf is two seasons, so I am pretty much always in season and constantly have things going on,” she said.
Skinner said that through organization and planning, she created a routine that made her commitments more feasible.
“I found that finding things outside of your sport to take your mind off of it is really important,” Skinner said. “That is why this club is good, because it allows me to do something different without overexerting myself.”
While still searching for an advisor, the stunt leaders have focused on networking and building connections with other on-campus organizations. They have found major support from the Boehly Center for Excellence in Finance and the Student Marketing Association, along with coaches and the athletic community as a whole.
“We’ve talked with our coaches about giving presentations and trying to get the football team more involved with real estate,” Boyd said.
Boyd also noted the assumptions that many on the football team have about the field of real estate.
“A lot of our teammates think it is really difficult to get into and that it can be a scary topic,” Boyd said.
Still, both Zamer and Boyd feel supported by their coaches and teammates.
“We’re planning an off-campus event at Brickhouse Tavern, and our coaches have been helping us with logistics and getting it set up,” Zamer said.
Zamer also hopes that Real Estate Investment Club can serve as a blueprint for others looking to start their own organizations.
“There is this concept called MVP, minimum viable product, and you kind of have to just jump in the fire,” Zamer said. “Everybody wants when they start something entrepreneurial to have it be perfect and everything, but you really need to get an MVP out there. As soon as you can get something out, it doesn’t have to be perfect, just start.”
While the club is still in its early stages, its leaders are proud of their progress.
“I started talking about this last summer, and here I am eight months later,” Zamer said. “I didn’t expect to be here, but every day I just did what I could with what was in front of me and got out there.”
