I came to OU in the fall of 2013 thinking I was going to graduate with a broadcast journalism degree and take Samantha Ponder’s spot on ESPN’s College GameDay.
I thought wrong.
After being exposed to sports PR in the OU Athletics Communications department and now the Oklahoma City Thunder, I decided I would stick in sports, but take a much different career path. I’ll graduate in December with a PR degree and Spanish minor. Next fall, I plan to attend law school to prepare me for a career as a sports agent and eventual first female NBA General Manager.
I’m a firm believer in making connections and using them, working hard, and not sleeping until something is done and done well, all while blasting rap music. There’s so many people I’ve met in my years at OU who are about to graduate and don’t have internships. I know we all get annoyed with Pritch telling us “get internships, get internships, get internships!!”, but he’s not kidding. My internship with OU Athletics led to my job with the Thunder. My job there has introduced me to some of the coolest people and I don’t just mean Russell Westbrook. NBA scouts, GMs, media, like Doris Burke and Jeff Van Gundy, are all important people to have on my side as I ascend the ranks in the National Basketball Association.
I’ve had the opportunity to help with the D-League team’s social media. I’ve been able to design graphics, like the one below, and run Twitter for the OKC Blue.
Seeing older interns get good jobs because they have quality resumes full of experience is so inspiring and motivating. I know that if I keep working hard, I’ll get what I want out of my life, both professionally and socially. Constantly shaking hands and starting conversations has given me business cards of some wonderful people.
I’ve been able to learn Photoshop and InDesign through both of my internships. Thanks to OU Athletics, I got to know both programs exceptionally well. What I’ve picked up since, like the technique used to “shatter” Daniel, the player in white, I learned via YouTube. Working in sports has shown me just how important design can be. Poor or boring graphics don’t lead to much engagement. This particular post got 436 likes on Instagram. It’s one of the most-liked photos on the @okcblue account, which has nearly 16,000 followers.
Thanks to some great people with big hearts for sports, social media and design, I’m living the PR student’s dream. I only hope to expand my knowledge of InDesign and Photoshop through this course.
