Summary of The Last Six Months

Ever since I can remember, I've been obsessed with photos and videos. I always love capturing moments. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? So rather than telling you about all the fun I'm having in San Francisco, I thought a few pictures might do the trick. Here's a little summary of the last six months:

When I first moved here I was like:

And learning that public transportation is the best way to get around:

Walking into orientation:

When friends from back home can't believe I only go to school once a week:

Sometimes when I don't get something in class I think:

But then the USF professors and staff remind me:

Dr. Cellini is really big on learning how to properly speak in public. So, at first my classmates and I were all like: 

And he was like:

And occasionally like:

But after 8 weeks with him, this is how he reacted to our final presentations:

After those 8 weeks, we were told no other class would have as much work as Dr. Cellini's:

So, after that class, we all couldn't wait until class #2:

By this time we've all interviewed for jobs, so we all start the process like:

But leaving the interview and getting the job, we all felt like:

Class #2: Marketing. Not knowing anything about marketing:

But Dr. Goldman made it easy to learn and I felt like:

After my group nailed their final project and moving on to class #3:

Remembering how good I am with numbers before Accounting & Budgeting in sport:

And when Professor Faas asked who had an accounting background:

But then he assured us we would be just fine with no previous accounting knowledge:

And then doing well on his final:

How I felt leaving class knowing I won't see them for three weeks:

And realizing I'm a quarter of the way through grad school:

I think these GIFS perfectly sum up my adventure and emotions so far in the city and school. As excited as I am to see what the future holds at USF, I can't emphasize enough how much I need everything to slow down! I'll never regret this decision to move out here and continue my studies.

Happy Holidays!!

Perks of San Francisco You Don’t Hear Everyday

Hello everyone! Crazy to think it’s that time of the month to blog again, it’s going by too quickly. I know the last few posts I’ve mentioned a lot about my growth as a person or the fabulous experience I’m having, so I hope to accomplish something different in this blog post. My title might be promising something wild and crazy, but it’s still within some facts about this city (that I absolutely love):

1.     Amount of sports companies and teams there are in the city.

        Okay, maybe this is included, but the amount of possibilities in this city is truly unlimited. I mean, when I first moved here I immediately thought Raiders, 49ers, Giants and Athletics (go Rangers), but the possibilities are really endless. As much as everyone wants to work in these big name organizations, it’s perfectly fine if you don’t. Honestly, I’ve learned that working hard at an organization people may not familiar with, is more important towards your personal skills as an employee and person. It’s places like those that can teach you the true value of hard work by either juggling different jobs within a job or even earning that solid recommendation for that next job. With those assets, it could make your dream come true and possibly easier when trying to break into those big name businesses. This city offers more opportunities than I ever imagined.

2.     Location, location, location!

      Let’s be honest. California, it’s kind of like a dreamland. Especially having the program in Los Angeles and up in the bay, you get the best of both worlds. Now being from the south, I’m used to the heat, humidity, rainstorms, etc. So, being in weather that ranges between 50 and 75 degrees throughout the year with no humidity is perfect. The fog up in the bay was a change for me, but I’m used to it and actually like it. Lately it’s only been around in the morning and at night, so it’s perfect when I’m inside and relaxing. But having the luxury of sunny blue skies during a run or walk on the beach is perk I’ll never get tired of.

3.     This city is so convenient

      San Francisco is the home of about 815,000 people, in an area of 232 square miles. If you haven’t pictured by now, yes everything is super close. Big city, not that big in distance. This makes parking difficult, which is why the public transportation is given two thumbs up. Hailing from Plano, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, public transportation isn’t that popular. In fact, we have a train system, DART, that is similar to the one here, BART. In my 17.5 years of living in Texas, I think I’ve taken it five times. But, let me tell you, it took me two months before I ever stepped on a bus here. I was terrified. Mainly because there’s a lot of options so it can be overwhelming, but I’m also kind of a germaphob. Not only have my hand sanitizer purchases increased, but I have a really odd, new found love for public transportation. It’s just so convenient. Buses frequently stop so you don’t have to walk far and my immune system has seriously boosted, which is why I refuse to get a flu shot (sorry mom but the shot clearly didn’t help last year). Also, I live as far west as it gets, right on Ocean Beach. I could run as east as it gets, by AT&T park and back to my house and I wouldn’t even be at a full marathon of distance. That’s just another perspective for how close everything is and how easy public transportation is.

4.     The diversity in this city is eye-opening

    Alright, I realize that I will probably inadvertently write something controversial in this section, I've lived a somewhat sheltered life and not had an opportunity like this. I normally don’t share my views, especially on topics that might be controversial or that put me into a situation where I lack experience. I have opinions but now I am exposed to so many new experiences that some reexamination is in order. The fact that my opinions require examination is testament to what makes this area unique. No matter where you live in the country or world, there will always be someone with a different and in some case opposing view.  There are so many cultures, religions, political views, you name it, that literally all one has to do in San Francisco is turn a corner and a new experience awaits. As much of a culture shock as it was, I enjoy the great diversity and that fact make me realize what an awesome privilege it is to be able to live in the area. Living here broadens my horizons and exposes me to what else is out there, not just the bubble I've lived in and known my whole life. It’s not only humbling but it puts everything into perspective, or at least it did for me. Being able to connect with people of different cultures is beneficial to my personal and professional life. In my professional life, I will encounter situations far outside anything I had previously experienced. Living in San Francisco broadens my experience so that no matter the audience or customer, I think I will be prepared for the situation. While USF increases my knowledge, San Francisco has increased my “knowledge”

Even if I would have known the in depth details about these four points before choosing where I went to grad school, I would have still picked USF. This city is unlike any other, which is why it’s important to experience in a lifetime. Yes I’ve learned a lot in class and at my jobs, but this city has taught me just as much.

Taking it all in..

Only 575 days until graduation.

I’ve been in the program for 98 days.

These 98 days have gone by so quickly, yet I’ll keep saying, “they’ve been so rewarding”. I think the most important thing I’ve learned this last month is to really take in and value my time in San Francisco.

Last Thursday was Cohort 39’s second internship meeting with Dr. Cellini. For this meeting, Cohort 37 joined us to not only share their experiences, but to give us advice as well. Just like all the professors, they advised us to constantly network, because you never know who someone knows. It was a great opportunity to not only hear what their interests are and the jobs they have, but how far a long they’ve come in the program and what they have left. Although our interests may vary, we all have had ups and downs along the same lines. These struggles and successes have helped mold us into the people we are becoming, and who knows how much more we can grow. Even from our first internship meeting, I’ve seen a huge change in myself as well as my classmates. These are the moments I’ll value. It’s humbling already to know how far we’ve come; it makes the future that much more exciting. Although I have no idea what is in store for my future, I’m confident in the direction I’m going.

Between the first and second internship meeting, my class and I revised our career ‘game plans’ that includes current jobs that will help us obtain our dream job. When I first started the program, I wanted any and every opportunity that came my way. Although a few did not fall in the sports media category, as great as those jobs are, they helped me realize how much I do want to work in media. So, I made it a goal to start looking and trying to get a job working in that industry.

About two and a half weeks ago, I took a position at the Pac-12 Networks. It is really exciting because sports media is the industry I want to pursue a career in. It has been great so far and I have already fallen in love (again) with sports media. I have always been told to make it in media, you have to start at a small company. So when I got multiple callbacks and eventually the position I was really surprised. I still pinch myself because it is honestly such a cool job and place to work. This is where I have learned to open my eyes and take it all in. There’s no guarantee with what this job could turn into, but only a few are given an opportunity like this.

Although some positions I have are only temporary or internships, it’s only times like these where I do not mind being called a student or an intern. Companies love interns, or part-time employees who are doing a lot of work for a little pay. I only have 575 more days left of being a student, so these are the moments I plan to value and take advantage of while in San Francisco. It is moments like these that have allowed me to learn even more than I ever thought I could (and build up my résumé of course).

Not only have I learned a lot, but also this program has allowed me to transition into what it’s like to have a real job or a busy work schedule. I only graduated from Arkansas back in May, so it was somewhat of an identity crisis those first few months. My friends at other graduate programs go to school a few days a week, not giving them a free schedule to go out and explore with job opportunities.  

In 575 days when I graduate, I know I’ll have a lot smoother of a transition into the ‘full time employee’ status compared to those friends. But until then, I’ll be taking in every bit of San Francisco.

One Down, 11 To Go..

Remember how I mentioned last post that I was warned this experience goes by fast? Well, all the alumni and faculty who preached that wasn’t lying.

I feel like it was just yesterday I was moving to California and now it’s already the middle of September. Maybe I should refer back to the cheesy saying of: “time flies when you’re having fun”, but I’ve been living up to that saying.

When friends from Arkansas or Texas ask me about school and life in California, they all say they can’t believe I’m having this much fun for grad school. Or, they’ve never actually heard of someone who ‘loves’ their program. With all of the opportunities USF provides, I’m reminded each day how much of an impact this program is already having on me now, as well as my future.

Two weeks ago marked the ending of our first milestone. It was a little bittersweet ending Dr. Cellini’s class. We all enjoyed his class and learning from him, but we were ready and anxious for the next class to begin.

Before that, we all celebrated completing our first class together Labor Day weekend. We went to Mission Dolores Park to hang out and throw the football around in honor of football season being here. After that, a lot of us went to Austen Powers, Nick Walsh and Nate Sullivan’s apartment to barbeque. It was nice to be able to be together on this holiday weekend, especially for me when my family is back in Texas. But, I couldn’t be happier being a part of Cohort 39 and the USF sport management family. 

Here’s a cool picture I took at 20^th Street and Church Street overlooking the park!

After our fun weekend, it was time to get back to work. We began sports marketing with Dr. Goldman two weeks ago and none of us were really sure what to expect. From cohorts ahead of us, we were always given a few tips and advice to help us in the program, but since Dr. Goldman is new, we had no insight. We were a little nervous. 

After the first ten minutes of class, we all finally relaxed. Dr. Goldman has the ability to create an environment, for me at least, that is stress free. I’ve never studied sport marketing, or any kind of marketing for that matter, before stepping into Dr. Goldman’s class. Not only are we learning a lot already from him, he also brings a lot of international perspective and knowledge to the classroom.

The major assignment for the class is to create a new marketing strategy for a company or organization. We were put into groups and from there, we collectively decided on a place to work with. Similar to Dr. Cellini’s class, this allowed us to make connections within the business. But unlike Dr. Cellini’s class, it was in an area some weren’t necessarily interested in. This project teaches us how to get into the customer's minds. We get to talk to people first hand and conduct research of our own. Although this marketing strategy is only pretend, the organization has the ability to use our work if they want. So having the potential of helping an organization better is a bigger reward than just the grade Dr. Goldman gives us. We’ve learned connections in the business will help us in the long run, so having multiple connections in different areas of sport will only be beneficial in the future.

I talk about the future as if it’s so far away, when in actuality it’s happening now. It’s still hard to believe I’ve already been a part of this program for 10 weeks. I still feel very fortunate to be a part of this program but can’t believe how fast it’s going. I’m just reminding myself to take in every moment because graduation is just around the corner.

One class down, 11 to go..

Just like any big change in life, there are a lot of questions that start with ‘what if’.

What if moving halfway across the country is a big mistake? What if I don’t even like the program? What if I’m not as successful as the alumni listed on the website?

Trust me, you will ask those questions many times.

The doubt danced around in my head for multiple weeks leading up to the move from Arkansas and even the first week I was here. I didn’t know anyone and got lost every time I left my house. I was thrown into this fast paced city and wasn’t sure if I could keep up.

When orientation came around on July 9^th, I was anxiously awaiting to learn what this journey was going to be about. Meeting classmates, professors, current students, and alumni made the whole experience surreal. Nothing but positive comments filled the room and pure joy as each alumni spoke about the program. But, they all kept reminding me: It goes by fast.

The next day, I prepared for Dr. Cellini’s class. My cohort and I were all warned it’s similar to a boot camp and we’ll have so much work to do. I remember thinking, “how could all those alumni say good things about a boot camp?” But, after six weeks with Dr. Cellini, I understand why they would all say it with a smile.

Dr. Cellini prepares you for the real world, real fast. In this program, it is required to complete 160 internship hours. From day one, Dr. Cellini helps us focus and think about what we really want to have as a career. In doing that, he has us reflect on our personal experiences as well as material we talk about in class. The assignments were about you, not a textbook or someone in the past that made history.

He emphasized our thoughts and personal experiences to help distinguish what our strengths are as a person. It’s not only about working for a company and having a job you love, but also how you can add value and accomplish things you never would have expected.

After the first day of class, my e-mail inbox was overflowing with internship opportunities from around the area at companies that alumni work for. There’s so many opportunities that it can be overwhelming, but Dr. Cellini can help calm that anxiety. He combs through our résumés and cover letters to help prepare us for interviews, and makes us all talk in front of the class on multiple occasions. “Get comfortable being uncomfortable”, Dr. Cellini preaches each day. He pushes us out of our comfort zone in class preparing us for what the real world is like.

Our final project with Dr. Cellini was the best project I’ve ever done in my life. Reading the syllabus on day one and having him explain what a ‘career prospectus paper’ was had each person staring at him in disbelief. He wanted us to focus on the area of sport we always hoped to work in, and to contact people within the field to give us insight about the job. We were instructed to talk to anyone from an intern to the president of the company.

We all thought, ‘yeah right, like that’s going to happen. No one will e-mail or call me back’.

To our surprise, we all got responses from a lot of big names in the industry we wanted to work for. It really helped lift our confidence while conducting informational interviews and to learn if this is the career path we wanted to pursue.

After turning in the paper, not only did we learn what it takes to obtain this dream job of ours, but also we made connections within the industry. Not only is this a boot camp, but it also boosts your confidence and you really begin to discover the kind of person you are.

My experience so far at USF has been the most rewarding opportunity of my life. I am in an environment where everyone is cheering me on: from my cohort members to the staff to the alumni all across the country. I couldn’t ask for a better graduate program that is helping me pave my way for success. In a few years, I know I’ll look back and be able to say, “USF is why I’m where I am today”.