I have been meaning to write this post for a while, and today felt like the right time.
My career in athletic communications began at two meaningful places that helped shape the foundation of everything I believe about this profession today — Columbus State Community College and University of Toledo.
At Columbus State, I had the opportunity to work under the direction of athletic director Eric Welch alongside assistant athletic directors Ketra Armstrong and Kevin Varnish.
At Toledo, inside the Glass Bowl, I learned from directors Rod Brandt and Paul Helgren along with associate director Michael Lamb as well as my fellow student assistants, Brian DeBenedictis, Jevon Fark, Amanda Bogner.
Those experiences laid the groundwork for what would become a career in athletic communications and sports information.
Very early in that journey, I was fortunate to begin working alongside student workers who helped support the daily responsibilities that come with this profession. Looking back now, I realize they gave me far more than assistance with gameday operations, statistics, writing, or office coverage.
They gave me opportunities to listen.
To learn.
To lead.
And sometimes, just as importantly, to follow.
Many of those former student workers remain part of my life today. I still stay in contact with several of them, and I will always champion them personally and professionally in whatever paths they pursue.
There have been life lessons on both sides of those relationships.
This post is dedicated to them.
And I hope those reading this realize the immense value student workers bring to athletic communications departments everywhere.
The Office Is More Than a Workspace
One of the most meaningful parts of athletic communications is something that rarely appears in a job description.
It is not the statistics.
It is not the graphics.
It is not the livestreams or media guides.
It is the people.
Over time, I have realized that some of the most lasting relationships in this profession are built not during championship moments, but during ordinary days inside an athletic communications office.
The student workers who stay late after games.
The interns learning how to write their first recap.
The young professionals trying to figure out whether they belong in this industry.
Those moments matter more than we often realize.
Athletic communications offices often become unofficial classrooms — not because anyone formally labels them that way, but because of what happens inside them every day.
Students learn professionalism.
They learn accountability.
They learn communication.
They learn how to handle pressure.
They learn how to recover from mistakes.
Sometimes, they learn confidence.
And in many cases, they begin discovering who they are becoming professionally long before they fully understand where their careers will eventually take them.
That is part of why mentorship in this profession matters so much.
The Skills That Transfer Beyond Athletics
Recently, I found myself reflecting on several former student-athletes and student workers who have gone on to earn doctoral degrees.
One former student worker in particular stayed on my mind.
At Pacific University, she arrived on campus expecting one path as a student-athlete. Eventually, her athletic journey shifted, and during that transition, she joined our athletic communications office.
At the time, it may have simply looked like a campus job.
But looking back, it became much more than that.
She developed communication skills.
She learned organization.
She learned adaptability.
She learned how to interact professionally with different personalities and expectations.
Today, she is a veterinarian.
That progression reinforces something I have believed for a long time:
The work student workers do in athletic communications often prepares them for careers far beyond athletics itself.
Not every student worker becomes an SID.
Not every intern stays in sports forever.
But the habits they develop — discipline, communication, professionalism, adaptability, and resilience — travel with them into every industry they enter afterward.
That impact is real.
Consistency Creates Influence
One of the misconceptions about leadership is that influence always happens through grand speeches or major moments.
Most of the time, influence happens quietly.
It happens through consistency.
The way you treat people during stressful moments.
The patience you show when teaching someone a process.
The standards you uphold even when nobody is paying attention.
Young professionals notice those things.
Student workers notice those things.
Eventually, they carry pieces of those experiences into their own careers, workplaces, and leadership styles.
That responsibility should never be taken lightly.
The Profession Is Bigger Than Content
In today’s environment, athletic communications can sometimes become overly centered on metrics.
Views.
Engagement.
Clicks.
Follower growth.
Those things matter. They are part of modern storytelling and audience development.
But this profession has always been bigger than content performance.
At its best, athletic communications is about people.
It is about helping student-athletes feel seen.
It is about documenting moments families will remember forever.
It is about creating opportunities for young professionals to grow.
It is about building trust across an athletic department.
And sometimes, years later, it is about seeing someone you once mentored become a doctor, veterinarian, educator, administrator, communicator, or leader in an entirely different profession.
Those moments remind you the work mattered.
Reconnecting With Former Student Workers
Lately, I have spent time reconnecting with former student workers and colleagues.
Some are still working in athletics.
Some are in healthcare.
Some became educators.
Others work in communications, administration, media, or business.
What stands out most is not necessarily where they ended up professionally.
It is the shared experiences we still remember years later.
The rides to games.
The long tournament weekends.
The stressful gamedays.
The laughter inside the office after deadlines were finally finished.
That is the hidden side of this profession people rarely discuss enough.
Athletic communications departments do not just produce content.
They produce growth.
Investing in People Still Matters
College athletics moves fast.
Technology changes quickly.
Platforms evolve constantly.
Expectations continue to increase.
But one thing should never change:
People still matter most.
The investment you make in student workers today may impact someone’s confidence, career direction, or leadership style years from now in ways you may never fully see.
That is part of the privilege of this profession.
And honestly, it is one of the reasons many of us stay in it.
Final Thought
As I continue reflecting on this profession, I keep returning to one simple truth:
The real legacy of athletic communications is not only found in archives, graphics, record books, or championship rings.
It is found in people.
In the student worker who discovered confidence.
In the intern who found purpose.
In the former student-athlete who became a doctor.
In the relationships that continue long after the final game ends.
We all have a story.
And I remain deeply grateful for the people who continue to be part of mine.
