Throughout my time as a slippery rock student, I have been able to

experience new settings and events that have shaped me into who I am today.  

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          The experience I’ve gained at slippery rock has improved my leadership, organization, and communication skills.

When I started at Slippery Rock, I came in as a typical freshman that needed mature a little. It was my first time having as much independence as I did. Going into college I                           wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted to do, all I knew is that my future career had                   to deal with sports. As classes progressed and we got more assignments I                           started procrastinating on assignments and was lacking severely in the time                       management category. I faced many challenges in my first year from time                           management, adequate work, being on my own and so far away from my                           family. My grandmother passed away my first semester of college, which                             started my lack of work ethic. After this I was not involved very much and I                         was in danger of losing my scholarship.

   

          When I was in danger of losing my scholarship I knew I had to turn things around. This was my turning point that I would spend the next two years on. I decided to dedicate myself to my studies and bettering myself as a student. My goal from then

on was to make the dean's list and decide what exactly I wanted to do when I

graduated. To accomplish this I got more involved with my major and my Practicums, started reaching out and developing relationships with my professors, and I became

a mentor in the Jumpstart Program and a mentor in the Sport Management Department. After I started to clean up my act I produced my best work. This led to receiving outstanding reviews from my practicum advisors, getting all A’s and B’s, and being awarded Junior of the Year at the Sport Management Banquet

 

          Throughout my time at Slippery Rock I had the opportunities to gain work experience in multiple areas. All of which translate into my ultimate goal of becoming an Athletic Director at the high school or collegiate level. Three primary experiences that                         gave me the most knowledge were my internships at Dieruff High School,                           DeSales University, and Slippery Rock University. Each experience exposed me                   to a different area of athletics. Dieruff showed how to properly run an event as                   a game manager, DeSales showed me the compliance side, and Slippery Rock                     helped me gain experience in operations. In addition to those experiences I                       learned how properly speak on the phone and communicate effectively and                       how to solicit donations.

 

          Every Experience has made me who I am today. Each project and Practicum has gotten me ready for research and senior seminar, my internship at Davidson College, and my future career. The experiences I have had has greatly impacted and developed my leadership skills through leading events such as the 5k and being the leader of group projects. My organization has drastically improved. When you are organizing

event, ordering supplies, and creating teams you need to be as organized as

possible to be as accurate as possible. Finally, my communication with

teammates, co-workers, and the public was greatly tested and improved.

Creating a 5k and sport camps for kids in the county requires a lot of

communication with the public, schools, parents, volunteers, and coaches in

order for them to be a success. By having first hand experiences these areas

have been tested and worked on by personally experiencing what does and

doesn’t work. Overall my time in the Sport Management Major at Slippery

Rock has made me into who I am today.