I’ve always loved sports and participated in team sports growing up so it’s always been a part of my life. I didn’t start thinking of this as a career path until I started my undergrad here at CSU. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to work for the women’s basketball program and study sports management for my minor. After working for the program all four years and studying the curriculum for my minor, I knew this was a passion I wanted to pursue.

It was a perfect fit. The program director, Dr. Albert Bimper, put together an amazing program that I wanted to be a part of. The curriculum and the professors that he brought in are the biggest reasons I chose CSU to pursue my graduate degree. I also work full time and this was an option that worked well and was flexible with my schedule.

After graduating, my dream job would be to get back to working in college athletics, with a position where I can connect with student athletes and make a positive impact on their experience. I would like to use the experience I am currently getting as a fundraiser along with my experience during undergrad to create a better way to connect donors to student athletes and maximize the resources and opportunities provided to them.

The class that has been the most meaningful to me so far would be Sport Law. The course challenged me in a way that made me excited to learn week after week. Professor Newton did a great job of pushing myself and the entire class to think outside the box and use our personal experiences to grasp the concepts of the class.

I think this program will prepare me for my future by connecting the concepts of the courses to real situations that we are witnessing right now in sports. For example, studying how these professional leagues and collegiate conferences are handling the pandemic is a great way to prepare the whole cohort of this MSM program for a variety of future curveballs that could be thrown our way. Beyond just the pandemic, the world of sports is always changing so having our professors keep up with that and apply it to course content is going to make all the difference for us.

I have always loved running as a sport and recognize the positive role athletics has played in helping me in both my education, as well as my development as a person. As a student athlete, I realize that it is only because of the people who are willing to work, and guide athletes like myself that I am even here at all, and it is through this program I see my greatest potential to give back a small portion of what was given to me. The Sport Management program has allowed me to combine my personal passion of sports with human development, and how we can better connect people and communities through sport, with the ultimate goal of being a force for good, which feels very meaningful to me.

Choosing CSU for my graduate program was an easy choice. I really love Fort Collins, so staying in town if at all possible was welcomed. I am also a member of the CSU Track and Field team, and have been since 2015, so choosing CSU meant that I could also continue to compete in track, which I love.

After graduation a dream job would be to work as an athletic director for a university athletic program, or as a director of a professional running team.

A class that I found really meaningful was Sport Law with Dr. Ajhanai Newton. This class challenged me on how I critically thought and could break down problems, and ultimately left me feeling like I was gaining a real skill and outlook that I utilize later on in my career. Dr. Newton herself created a really positive sense of community and an inspiring outlet to learn, which has given me the needed affirmation that graduate school was the right choice.

In the future I see this program equipping me to be a leader and innovator in the world of athletics, both at the amateur and professional level.  This includes being a key advocate for equality and advocacy within sports, as well as initiating ethical and sustainable sports and business practices for all athletes, and the communities they come into contact with.

I became interested in Sport Management while I was a student athlete at UTSA. I was able to work with UTSA Athletics and their sports information team as well as the San Antonio Spurs communications team. I knew I wanted to pursue a career in Public Relations while still being involved in sports. I decided to pursue a Master’s in Sport Management during COVID actually, when all sports were canceled. I figured this was the perfect opportunity for me to expand my knowledge and add to my resume.

I chose CSU for my graduate program because my sister plays volleyball at Colorado State and has nothing but amazing things to say about the university, the professors and Dr. Bimper. I was excited to learn from professors who have experience and knowledge in the industry and push their students to succeed.

My dream job after graduation would be to work in Public Relations for the NBA.

The most meaningful class I’ve taken so far would be Sport Law. I was able to push myself academically and really learn how to interpret the law in regards to sports and understand how things work in the sports world. Dr. Newton was an amazing professor and connected with all her students to ensure our success and helped us get outside of our comfort zone.

I think this program will help me in the future by giving me the tools, experience and knowledge to apply the things I’ve learned into real world situations. I’ve learned a lot about the management side of sports, including how to effectively communicate through different media channels, build a brand, market an organization, plan events and more. I’ve also learned several things pertaining to the ethical and legal side of sports. I feel more prepared than ever to go out and use my skills to the best of my ability and I believe CSU has allowed me to do that.

My interest in Sport Management developed from my passion for sports. I knew Sport Management was the right path for me because it combines my passion with the skills and abilities I excel in.

I completed my undergraduate degree at CSU and truly loved my time there. Being a Fort Collins native as well, I have a strong appreciation for the town and have always been a Ram fan. In my undergrad, I was selected to be a part of the Denver Broncos Sport Management Institute to earn a minor in Sport Management. I enjoyed everything I learned from that curriculum and wanted to dive deeper into the subject. So, when I discovered CSU was creating a master,s program, I knew I wanted to apply and be in the program’s inaugural class.

My dream job after graduation would be to become a Director of Events or an Events Coordinator for a professional sports team. My goal is to work in the NBA, but I would be happy to work in any of the professional leagues.

Sport law has been the most meaningful class to me so far. While I look forward to taking a course on sport events, sport law taught me valuable knowledge that I will be able to carry with me throughout my career. The class was challenging but well worth it in my opinion. I am currently taking sports marketing which has been another meaningful class since sports marketing and events often overlap.

The diverse and compelling curriculum of the program goes beyond the basics of Sport Management. I believe the program will better prepare me to be capable of succeeding in the sports industry. The courses touching on social responsibility, cultural understanding, law and policy, ethics, business, and collaboration will help prepare myself for the future by covering several important realms within sports. Learning about these subjects in the sports field will allow me to make an impactful imprint with the work I will do. Earnestly, it is important to me to not solely be successful in sport event management, but to also make a difference. I anticipate CSU’s Master of Sport Management program will provide the necessary education and skills to help me accomplish my career-driven aspirations.

I became interested in Sports Management because I have always been passionate about business. I have loved all kinds of different sports since I was a kid and am playing basketball at Colorado State so entering this program seemed like the perfect fit! The sports industry needs more women in management positions, and I want to be a part of that!

I choose CSU because Fort Collins is an amazing place to live and the campus is beautiful. They have so many options for graduate programs and the staff was extremely helpful in the process. I also had an opportunity to continue my basketball career here!

My dream job would be to work for Chill Foundation. They are a nonprofit that focuses on teaching youth resiliency through boardsports to help them reach their full potential.

Sports Law has been the most meaningful class so far. At first, I was apprehensive about the class because law has not interested me significantly before, but Professor Newton did an amazing job assisting us in diving deeper into topics we were interested in. She showed how much she cared about each individual students’ education and was always available to answer questions or talk about how Sports Law relates to different events going on in society today.

This program will prepare me to think critically while I consume information. It will challenge me in various aspects of Sports Management because these classes cover a wide variety of topics. Not only will it help with future careers but the ethical issues we research and discuss will help me to be a better citizen in society.

I became interested in the MSM program because it allowed me to better prepare myself for a career in the sports industry – particularly in the realm of intercollegiate athletics, which I plan to stay involved with heavily. Additionally, I was attracted to the MSM program because of the leadership of Dr. Albert Bimper, founding director of the Sport Management Program at Colorado State University, and his passion and involvement in intercollegiate athletics here at CSU.

CSU was so attractive to me for my graduate studies because it provided so many unique opportunities. CSU has world-class facilities, outstanding faculty members, a terrific location, high-level academics, and an extremely competitive NCAA Division One intercollegiate athletics program.

Currently I am a graduate assistant with the football program here at CSU. My plan is to continue down the coaching path at the intercollegiate-level, and possibly one-day transition into more of an administrative-type role in an intercollegiate athletics department. Ultimately, I hope to be lucky enough to continue working with collegiate student-athletes on a daily basis for my entire career!

I really enjoyed my Sport Law course taught by instructor, Dr. Ajhanai Newton. This course really helped to introduce me to the basics of sport law at the collegiate and professional level and was challenging and demanding, yet, fair and guided throughout. I hope to carry with me some of the basic principles I learned in this course throughout my career as a coach/teacher/administrator.

All of the fundamental lessons I am learning from the courses in this program will undoubtedly help to better prepare me in my professional endeavors. Most importantly, I hope to use these lessons in order to better communicate and guide the student-athletes that I work with on a daily basis!

Sports have always been a passion of mine since I was a little kid; I love participating in and watching sports. Throughout my undergrad at CSU, I always knew I eventually wanted a career in sports, I just wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted to do or the next steps to take. Last year, I completed an internship for an NFL agent based here in Denver, and that experience motivated me to pursue higher education in the field of sports management.

I chose to attend CSU for this graduate program because I’m very familiar with the educational experience provided here, since I attended CSU from 2014-2018 for my undergraduate degree. CSU has world class professors, resources, and environment to facilitate the best learning experience possible. It was a no brainer that I wanted to pursue my master’s education at CSU once I became aware of the Sport Management program being taught here.

My dream job after graduation would be to work for the Denver Broncos in the front office. The Broncos have been my favorite team in the world for as long as I can remember, it would be an honor for me to be able to work for the team and city that I love.

So far, Sports Law has been the most meaningful class to me. It encompasses legal situations and issues from almost every facet of sport that you can imagine, and the course helped prepare myself and fellow students to face these challenges once we become the sports leaders of tomorrow. I also want to give a lot of credit to the professor of that course, Ajhanai Newton, who was extremely helpful and structured the course in a way that really challenged me to learn and apply relevant legal concepts to sports.

This program has and will continue to prepare myself and fellow students to be ready for the challenges that constantly come up in sports management. This program has done well so far in not only teaching the different skills and concepts of being a sports manager, but also making us aware of issues that constantly come up and how we can face those head on and make us better leaders in the process.