I remember the exact moment I got the call from Bailey and Lorne letting me know I had been accepted into the Manhattan Sports Business Academy. My emotions were running so high that I was speechless to say the least. I was so eager to learn more about this incredible industry while making new friends and lifelong connections that I thought about it almost every day. As move-in day approached and I began packing, it hit me that it was really happening.

“Now finished with week one, it is clear I made the correct decision when debating to apply for MSBA 2017. I’ve been more exposed to the industry in one week than I have in all my years of college.”

Today, we visited Madison Square Garden to hear from a panel of speakers from different departments of the company. Each had different backgrounds leading up to their current positions – one was even a former MSBA student. Since I don’t know the exact direction I want to go in sports, hearing from this panel was huge as they mentioned positions they’ve held in the past and how they got to where they are today. My main takeaways from the panel were to always be yourself because people want to work with someone authentic and that if you’re great at what you do, opportunities will always present themselves. After listening to the panel we received a private tour of the venue from Ryan Nowack, a former MSBA student who currently works at MSG. It was really an eye-opening experience and made me think about how I’m just a kid from rural North Dakota; I’m not even supposed to be here (my version of LeBron James’ famous quote).

Now finished with week one, it is clear I made the correct decision when debating to apply for MSBA 2017. I’ve been more exposed to the industry in one week than I have in all my years of college. The passion to learn that my classmates possess made it very easy to connect with them from the get-go, and I can already tell these will be lifelong friends. The advice we’ve received from the speakers, our Mentors, and the MSBA staff has already been enough to jump start our careers, and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for the rest of summer.