It is the week of Commencement, and I continuously find myself asking where all the time went. In less than 10 days, I will be on a plane back home to start my long-anticipated career in this industry. As I sit down at my desk tonight and reflect on the summer, I struggle to put into words how much this experience has meant to me. Nowhere else outside of the Manhattan Sports Business Academy could I get this much exposure to top companies and professionals within the world of sports. I firmly believe the decision to reapply to MSBA was the best decision of my life to date. Coming into the program, I was concerned that putting off a full-time employment opportunity for another internship experience may not be worth it. However, I am starting to learn that I need to fall in love with the process and journey of my professional career rather than the end result. Far too often, I place all my focus on where I want to be at the end of my career and not enough on the stops along the way. After all, it’s the daily moments that I experienced with my fellow MSBA classmates this summer that make one realize just how incredible the journey in life is. Fully appreciating the current will almost certainly allow me to obtain my long-term goals.

“When this program ends, some of us will be entering the workforce, while others will be returning to campus. However, it is truly all of us who have gained the knowledge and advice necessary to currently succeed in this industry. I cannot wait to see how all our paths will cross in this industry in the future.”

I know it will be tough saying goodbye to everyone in this program after everything we experienced together. After all, the 25 of us were given the ultimate privilege to receive exposure to top companies, sport executives, and Mentors among thousands of worthy candidates wanting to work in this competitive industry. I am sure we will always remember the trips to places like NBC Sports, the NFL, Terminal 23, Roc Nation, MSG, and many more, but it is also the daily bonding outside of programming that makes MSBA so special. Getting dinner together after every event, karaoke, sports in Central Park, and the daily roasting of each other in the GroupMe are the moments when you really get to know who someone is as a person. When this program ends, some of us will be entering the workforce, while others will be returning to campus. However, it is truly all of us who have gained the knowledge and advice necessary to currently succeed in this industry. I cannot wait to see how all our paths will cross in this industry in the future.

So what is next for me? That part of my journey is still unknown, but I do know that I have never been more passionate about this industry and never been more confident that I will make it. I know when I look back on my journey that I will have MSBA to thank for everything.