As I sit here and reflect on my summer so far, the incredible opportunities I’ve had and the people I have met still amaze me. In just six short weeks, I have had the chance to travel to dozens of incredible offices throughout New York City such as the NBA, American Express, The Players’ Tribune and BSE Global. I have been able to hear from some truly inspiring Speakers and have absorbed some awe-inspiring advice about my professional and personal endeavors. Edward O’Hara taught us the true meaning of a brand and the ways to “win the heart” of the consumer, Alex Rosen taught us the art of relationship building, and Mark Burns, Jeff Eisenband, Charles Lerner and Sag Samimi engrained in the MSBA Class of 2018 the importance of hustle in everything you do. These experiences have truly been incredible and have helped me to not only understand and appreciate the sports industry more, but have also helped me to understand myself better and allowed me to truly recognize my goals for the future.
“Even though MSBA is just an eight-week program that I only have two weeks left of, I know that the things I have learned and been exposed to will impact me for the rest of my life.”
Another incredible aspect of the MSBA experience is the Mentorship Collective. Each student is paired up with three different Mentors and given the opportunity to connect and learn from them throughout the summer. Going into this program, I did not truly appreciate the gravity of this opportunity or all of the places it would lead me. I have had the pleasure of being paired with three incredible sports professionals: Dan Gaiman, Brielle Buckler and Jakob Gutierrez. These three people have not only taken the time out of their busy schedules to meet and speak with me on multiple occasions, but they have also devoted time to connecting me with a number of sports professionals in their own networks to allow me the opportunity to learn as much as I possibly can. They have handpicked friends and colleagues that they believe will have the strongest impact on my budding career and that align with my interests. This has given me the opportunity to learn about a variety of companies and positions in sports that I was completely ignorant to before, as well as post-graduate educations I have never considered previously. This opportunity has allowed me to grow my network tenfold, but has also developed my “informational interview” abilities and confidence. The skills that I will take away from this are irreplaceable.
These past six weeks have given me chances at every turn to grow and develop in an incredibly short period of time. Even though MSBA is just an eight-week program that I only have two weeks left of, I know that the things I have learned and been exposed to will impact me for the rest of my life. I am forever thankful to the people at MSBA – David, Lorne and Bailey, to my three Mentors – Dan, Brielle and Jakob and to my classmates, who have all taught me something new this summer. I know the relationships I have formed this summer will stay with me for the rest of my career, and I will always know that they are what helped pushed me to the next level in anything that I do.