Understanding that attending university is a time for emerging adults to explore their career options, I created this presentation as many sport management careers will not be high-profile jobs which exist in the limelight, yet this doesn’t make those positions any less important. How can I, as a professor of these students, help them navigate their career choices whether those positions are within the sport industry or in some other professional field? In this video presentation, I walk through my personal career journey and offer suggestions for reflection.
A slide from the presentation can be seen below where you see two mentors who invested deeply in me. I’ve tearfully said goodbye to these amazing coaches whose relationship with myself and others proved to be life changing. Their love of sports and other people helped guide me into a place where I found my niche and ultimately, a career. Please value those people willing to invest in you, we sometimes only know later in life how key a role these relationships are in forming who we become.
There is a scholarship honoring Lisa Hutchens and Adrian Nathaniel at Union University designed to assist sport management students. It’s a pleasure to devote time and effort into paying forward their blessings to me.
Please feel free to share your comments on people who have been influential in your life.
Flourishing @ Life 
When I reflect on those who influenced me throughout my life, I can clearly think of one person. Olivia Abernathy was once the Keystone Program Academic Counselor for Union University and now works for Hands Up, an elementary school here in Jackson. My freshman year of college I needed guidance throughout classes, sports, and life itself. Olivia was someone who I could depend on then and now for insight. As a new student, there are new challenges that await going to a new school. She made the transition from high school to college much easier for me. I am forever grateful for her and believe that without her in my life I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
LikeLike
The reason I wanted to go into sports as a career is because of my dad. My dad has shown his passion for sports to me and I wanted to be able to enjoy my career and so that is why I went into sport management and he has been a constant encouragement through all of my studies these past three and a half years. However, someone who has really influenced me and challenged me in my collegiate studies through sports and life would happen to be you! I won’t go in to much detail on here, but you have influenced me and have always been an open hear to hear out my crazy thoughts!
LikeLike
Words cannot even explain the love I have for sports and how many people that have been a positive influence in my life. Obviously, my mom and dad have been my solid foundation for the last 21 years, but Coach Darrin McClure has been the most impactful coach I have ever had. I have learned so much about myself and about the game of volleyball while being his athlete. I have learned that you need to be flexible. Whether that be your position on the court, working with peers, dealing with situations out of your comfort zone, etc. He has always pushed me to be the best version of myself and words can’t even describe how much I love and appreciate him. I am so blessed to be his athlete and to know that I have constant support from him for the rest of my life.
LikeLike
Sports have been my life forever, and when thinking if there was one person who was influential to me I have a couple in mind but I want to share the story about how my college career started and how I ultimately got to Union.
In my senior year I was pitching in the AA State Tournament and in Wyoming its a little weird so we have two levels A and AA my team was a single A team and we managed to win our state tournament which gave us a bid to the AA state tournament for a chance to make an American Legion World series run. Two days before the AA state tournament I had a tragic death in the family which was forcing me to fly to South Carolina for the funeral. I was only going to be at the tournament for the opening game so that is the one I pitched. I had one of the best performances of my life at the time throwing a 1 hit shut out. When the game was over I rushed to pack my things because it was off to the airport for me. My coach called me over when I was about to leave and said someone wanted to talk to me about my performance, and I thought it was just going to be the paper guy but I was wrong.
This man was Coach Hurbst he is the assistant coach for the Junior College I attended. He was on his way to a wedding in Yellowstone when he heard there was a baseball tournament close by he made a pit stop and watched the first game of the tournament…. yes that was the game I pitched. I told him my situation and he handed me his card and told me to call him as soon as I landed in South Carolina. Coach and I talked for a couple days and then he flew me out to visit and that’s when I knew this was the place I was going to go and the rest was history.
If I had not have met Coach Herbst then I doubt I would have ended up here at Union.
LikeLike