The Tassle is Worth the Hassle

On Friday, May 21, over 300 friends and family members gathered together at the St. Ignatius Church on the USF Main Campus for the graduation ceremony of Cohort 29 and 10S. The Reception took place at Crossroads Café where USF Sport Management graduate students, professors, and family members enjoyed catered food and drinks while reminiscing over the past two years.

“It’s great to see my classmates who started off not knowing exactly what they wanted to do and now have such a clear direction and path to follow,” said Mike Levine, Cohort 10S from Southern California. “The program is very flexible and gave me the opportunity to do my own masters project which led me to find my passion in life. Now I am going to continue my education and get my Ph.D. from UC Riverside.”

The program has done a great job giving students the freedom within structure to explore their desires. “I got to create my own Triathlon which I used in a research project,” said Clare Rudd, Cohort 29 from Northern California. “Now I am moving to Ireland for a year and then planning to work for the Olympics in London in 2012.”

While some students are moving across the world, others are moving across the state. With the program spread in both Northern and Southern California, students have the opportunity to work in almost any sports entity in California. “I started the program in southern California and wanted to work with the San Diego Padres. I ended up getting an internship with the San Francisco Giants and I was able to move to San Francisco and finish the rest of the program in Northern California,” said Jameson Shaw, Cohort 29. “It was really a blessing because I got to meet people and make friends from both Cohorts and broaden my network. I now know people in the sports industry all over California and plan on moving back to Los Angeles.”

Students were kind enough to share more of their favorite moments while enjoying unlimited food and drinks. “My best experience was going to Korea with our marketing class,” said Isela Velasco, Cohort 29. “I learned so much about marketing and was able to get really close to my classmates. We had a blast.”

“I was able to take an elective in Public Relations with Professor Steve Webster, CEO of Crimson Marketing and Public Relations. He took us to different sporting events for class. We got the chance to do a one-on-one interview with Luke Walton in the Press Room and experience a Press Conference with Phil Jackson and Pau Gasol,” said Brian Morandi, Cohort 10S. “I spent some time working for the Los Angeles Clippers and I want to get back into doing PR for a professional sports team.”

When asked to share one piece of advice with the current and prospective students, most people responded with the same answer – to network as much as possible. “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Use the program, the professors and the connections you have to get where you want,” expressed Patrick Jones, Cohort 29. “There are so many alumni sprinkled throughout the sports industry who went through this program and are willing to help you, so take advantage of it.”

Congratulations to all the recent graduates of the USF Sport Management program on all your hard work and success. We wish you the best of luck through the next chapters in life!