In August of 2020, we created a paid fellowship position for students from underserved communities. With the creation of this three-month program, our goal is to remove the societal barriers restricting qualified candidates from entering the sports industry and provide real world experience while building their own professional network. Ultimately, our hope is to create and foster a grassroots pipeline that champions and sets careers in motion. In addition to our program we partnered with Sports Biz Camps to create a Professional Toolkit in order to propel our candidate professionally. With the conclusion of our third year running the program, we wanted to spotlight this year’s fellowship recipient and share a glimpse of her fascinating story – scroll to bottom for video interview with Sabrinna.

About Sabrinna

Hometown: Ames, Iowa.

Undergrad: University of Iowa for undergrad – Sport and Recreation Management and minored in Physical Activity and Nutrition Science

Grad: Ohio University in the MBA/MSA dual degree program. At OU, I currently serve as the Vice President of Internal Relations, co-chair of the community service committee, and recruit for the program as a graduate assistantship.

Graduation: May 2023

Future Career/Goals: I hope to travel abroad and work in strategic marketing or corporate partnerships for an international team, league, or agency.

Why Sports

Sports have always played an important role in my identity. I grew up trying every sport available and honed in on playing soccer and swimming competitively throughout high school. I learned the importance of work ethic and dedication through sport and fell in love with its ability to unite. My parents are from the Ivory Coast and Germany, giving me a fascination for international competitions from a young age. I grew up watching Bundesliga on the weekends and waiting patiently for the Olympics and World Cup every four years. I still follow European soccer and am a recent Formula 1 fan due to my ongoing interest in international sports.

Experience at Navigate

This summer with Navigate, I had the opportunity to rotate through the primary and secondary research teams as well as the sales and marketing department. In my time, I assisted with various projects and got an inside look at how an agency operates. I worked on projects for three professional teams, three brands, two leagues, and one collegiate client. I received firsthand experience in data collection, storytelling, and strategic thinking. My favorite experience was helping a client reaffirm their sponsorship strategy by finding insights for them to share with their team. This challenged me to think in a new way and presented a unique problem to be solved. Sports Biz Camps, led by Patrick Stack, provided me with a tool kit containing best practices in communication, persuasive presentations, collaboration, and project management. The tool kit sessions were one-on-one calls with members of the Navigate team, allowing me to build relationships while learning valuable soft skills as I begin my career in sports business. At the end of the summer, I applied the skills I learned by putting together my own final presentation to share with the Navigate team. I researched the current state and growth trends in pickleball throughout America and provided insights on how Navigate could get involved in this market.

I am thankful for the past three months with Navigate and Sports Biz Camps. Everyone provided a welcoming environment that gave me full access to the agency experience. Whether I was in client meetings, helping with research and insights, or writing social media content, I was constantly learning something new. I will take not only the valuable skills I have learned, but also the relationships I have built with me throughout this year and my career.

 

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about our program, please email BAILEY@NVGT.COM.