Being a graduate student has been the most rewarding and, most likely, the busiest part of my life. On top of being a full-time student, I have a full-time job, a part-time job, and multiple internships, all within my field of study: sport administration. Let’s break that down. First, I coach competitive gymnastics full-time, traveling for competitions during the in-season, along with coaching camps and regular practices. This year, I will be traveling and creating digital content for an online hockey presence/agency. That covers the part-time role. Over this past year, I have held four internships — two at Tennessee State University, one at my current university, Belmont University, and lastly one for an ECHL team. Over these internships, I have gained experience in hospitality, team operations, ticketing, and social media. Many have crossed over into more than one of these, while others have solely focused on one of them. This upcoming school year, I plan to continue one of my internships at Tennessee State University, along with at least one other internship at another athletic department or organization in the area. Even with these positions, I am still looking for other opportunities for myself. I have gained confidence in myself and been able to put myself out into the world and speak for myself. By doing this, I was able to advocate for myself and gain shadowing experiences with two different professional hockey teams as high as the National Hockey League. I had multiple opportunities to shadow both teams and have also had my content posted on one of their social media accounts. As someone beginning in the industry, this was a huge deal for me. It has proven to me that I am worthy of being in this industry, and I need to take every opportunity as they come to me because I do deserve it for myself. I also have created my own path in sports photography. I truly have invested in myself and my goals as I took a leap of faith to begin this adventure. I had not done sports photography since high school, so trying to get back into this avenue was definitely an adventure. What I thought would be super difficult turned out to be a super fun and rewarding experience. This place in the industry is one of my favorites and something I am trying to trust myself to grow professionally. I now own a camera with multiple lenses to begin a business and a space for me to showcase much of my creativity. Academically, I feel as though I sell myself short sometimes. In my undergraduate program, I was a STEM major, a completely different path than where I am now. However, everything happens for a reason. I realized biology was not for me, but I wanted to finish what I started and graduate on time with my Bachelor of Science degree, which I proudly did. Though my grades might not have been to my liking (still a 3.3), I have to give myself grace as I was working at least two jobs at a time. In my current program, I have not gotten a GPA less than 3.75 in either semester. I strive to achieve the best grades I can, and love being at the top of my game in the classroom. On a personal note, earning this scholarship would make me extremely grateful. I have fought numerous financial battles, having to fully support my own education by any means necessary. This includes FAFSA, private loans, scholarships, and grants. I was blessed to not have any debt from my undergraduate program, but my graduate degree is a different story. I have had to pull out private loans to be able to afford this degree. This has put a lot of financial stress and burdens constantly on my mind. This scholarship will alleviate some of the stress and pressures I am currently facing. I want to be able to enjoy my time and experiences in graduate school, but this is always on the back of my mind. Any scholarship, no matter how big or small, allows me to focus on school and potentially afford to have a day off. Working six-plus days a week to afford being in school in a new state is taxing and tiring in all ways mentally, physically, and emotionally. Having said all of this, I do believe that having this scholarship will open doors for me to gain new experiences and trust myself more in this industry. I would be able to take more unpaid internships and take chances without the stresses of working to afford textbooks or even a small part of my loan down the road.

Being involved in the sports industry has possibly changed my life. Up until now, I have been coaching gymnastics for almost a decade. I didn’t think it meant much more than a job to get me through college, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. After realizing that my biology degree wouldn’t bring me long-term happiness, I had to examine my life to see if any of my passions could lead to a career that would bring me happiness. I chose to embrace my love for the sports industry and take a leap of faith to fully launch myself into this. Since coming to Belmont to pursue my master's, I have been given an abundance of experiences I had not thought possible before I came here. I am breaking down doors and paving my own path. I have been able to create an outlet for myself to grow professionally and personally. I have become so much more confident and willing to say yes to opportunities that have been presented to me. I believe a career in sports has allowed for this growth. This career pathway also deepens my passion for the game. I have always had a competitive spirit, and building a career in sports allows me to embrace this trait in myself and use it to my advantage. Navigating a career in sport gives me a different set of eyes and perspective into what I love. I get to elevate the game and make a space for others to enjoy what they love as well, no matter if they are a fan, athlete, or sports professional. There are multiple ways that I want to have an impact on the sports industry. Firstly, I want to be an advocate for players. For me, this would be humanizing and highlighting these personalities to fans and the community. Yes, athletes dedicate their lives to their sport, but they are so much more than that. I want to show how special they are off the field as much as they are on the field. As a coach, I constantly advocate for my athletes to take care of themselves and be the reason they want to continue the sport. I have had multiple girls I coach say this to me, which is just confirmation that I am doing what I love and achieving my underlying goals. Additionally, I want to be an inspiration for someone to follow their passions and build a life and career that they are proud of. Coming from a STEM background, I thought I would be judged and criticized for the career switch. I realized that so many people in this industry come from an array of different backgrounds, which drives the uniqueness we see in everyday ideas. I stayed true to my passions, and it has been working out for itself so far. I want to be able to help others realize it’s never too late to pursue what makes you happy.