Meet Malia: Sports Management Senior

Speaker 1 0:00

Thank you for joining me on this podcast . I'm really excited for you to be on the show and I just want to do a brief introduction . Could you give us a little bit about who you are ?

Speaker 2 0:12

Yeah , of course . First , thank you for having me . I'm excited and let's get into it . My name is Malia Toume . I'm originally from Olathe Kansas , senior here at the University of Kansas , majoring in sports management , minor in psychology , and I'm about to graduate here next weekend , so looking forward to it . And I just got done completing my internship requirements out in the state of Georgia this semester , which had me experience a lot of new things and people and it was a good time .

Speaker 1 0:39

Awesome . Thank you , that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about today is your internship experience .

Speaker 2 0:44

What did you do ? Operations for running junior golf tournaments and we would travel all throughout the southeast and we had tournaments every weekend , running from setup to running the tournament to cleanup , and every single weekend we would go to a new place . And for operations , you were fully hands-on working with A-frames , banners , putting up signs , communicating with the pro shop and everything , and then also doing yardages and hole locations . So it's a lot of like behind the scenes , but also on-hand like experience with the internship and then , along with as the tournament is going on , you are also running the whole thing . I was the starter for the longest time , calling out tea times for like the players for like two , three hours straight and then after that you would just go and watch like specific groups that you're assigned to or specific holes , and then you also were like the rules official , helping players with like the rulings during the tournament .

Speaker 1 1:38

Awesome , that's cool . So you really helped with a lot of the main day to day operations of an event .

Speaker 2 1:46

Yes , Yep , we and my other interns and team we did like everything that it takes to run the tournament and makes it run smoothly as well on the so it was a two-day thing . So we would travel Thursday to our new spot . Friday was setup day long days , early hours , barely any sleep , a lot of traveling and then Saturday and Sunday was our tournament and then Sunday night we would finish cleaning up and then saturday and sunday was our tournament and then sunday night we would finish cleaning up and then we would head back to um home base back in georgia .

Speaker 2 2:09

Wow , oh , wow , and then we also , like at the end of the tournament on sunday , we would do the whole award ceremony . So it was everything that you can think of , from start to end . So it was a full-fledged main event . It was especially was it ?

Speaker 1 2:24

was it a junior girl golf ?

Speaker 2 2:26

yeah , okay , so we were working with um boys and girls , uh 6 10 to like 18 years old , ranging from like middle school to high schoolers , to people who took like a gap year after high school but were still able to compete , so it was fun . And then we also also had academies and different teams . We had a team from Canada two weeks ago come in , so that was really fun . And then there's another academy based out in Hilton Head that would come to all of our like Florida events , and so it was really nice because we had them for like five different tournaments , so it was nice to see them like throughout the time , make those connections .

Speaker 1 3:08

And then they also enjoyed seeing us too , which made it like really fun to enjoy . That's really cool . You mentioned that you're a senior at the University of Kansas studying sport management . You got this internship . What made you want to go into this specific internship ?

Speaker 2 3:16

Yeah , well , I took this opportunity . I first told myself I wanted to go out of state . That was like my main thing . I was like that's the goal . You know it's only temporary and it's like if I have this opportunity , even just as like an undergrad , to do this , why not ? So definitely took that on , I applied to all over , went on Arizona , this one , also local ones here in Kansas City , and then just kind of like I tried not to put my eggs all in one basket but still like open-minded to other opportunities .

Speaker 2 3:48

And then I saw this one on teamwork online . It showed that it provided like housing and living and I was like you know , this seems pretty cool . Didn't really see or know much about the company at first , from like what they posted online and just from like the contract . But I was like we'll see , we'll give it a chance . You know , like not everybody has this opportunity to like move away this far and like kind of get to see all these places and then come back . And yeah , I just really wanted to take the chance to go out of state .

Speaker 2 4:06

And then also I wanted to try a different sport .

Speaker 2 4:08

I love watching , like obviously Kansas basketball , and then just like MLB NFL and I was like you know , I think it would be great to work in that industry as well , but I was like I kind of want to try something new , a new sport and like a new position .

Speaker 2 4:21

I've never really like tried . I've done tons of like volunteering for , like KU athletic events , but it's also this internship was very like hands-on that I didn't really get during , like a volunteer experience , and it was kind of like an eye-opener like oh my gosh , like wow , I didn't realize . It was very like all this stuff , but it was like a great experience to get like knowledge under my belt about a new sport I didn't really know much about . I to get like knowledge under my belt about a new sport I didn't really know much about . I walked in there without knowing a lot about the game of golf and now I've left knowing a lot more and I'm still learning to this day and I think it's great that , like , if you can learn and pick up things fast , you can apply that and use that anywhere you go with any industry .

Speaker 1 4:57

Yeah , awesome . So you mentioned that this is your internship year and you did your four years of study , or like minus a semester . How hard was the adjustment for you to just go straight from doing education to moving to a different state and then doing your internship . How was that ?

Speaker 2 5:19

You know , honestly , I love the way this program is set up , where you kind of have to complete all your classes first , you know , because then it's like you , that's like kind of like your first step where to start , complete all your classes , and then , on top of like your second to last semester , you're like , ok , I need to start looking for internships , and then you secure your internship and at that point you're kind of like ready to be like . You're kind of in that mindset of like , ok , energy , effort in like working on my professionalism , networking , the internship itself and everything and for postgrad , to get you prepared for that . So that helped a lot . And then I was already in the mindset like , ok , I want to like leave , like move out of Kansas for this one opportunity , because I know I'm coming back and so you know it was great . And then also like it was hard at times because , like you kind of had to like it's like a risk thing too . Also , like it was hard at times because , like you kind of had to like it's like a risk thing too .

Speaker 2 6:08

It's like , ok , leaving this .

Speaker 2 6:08

You also know you're leaving all your friends and family behind , but it's also again , only temporary , four or five months and you're coming back and then I think it's such a big like full 360 moment because it feels like yesterday I was just stressing out about the internship and coming to you no-transcript , it doesn't feel like I was gone that long and you kind of like it's hard

Inside a Junior Golf Tournament Internship

Speaker 2 6:39

with how much like I was involved too and just like all my friends here and it was hard to kind of like leave that and then see everybody posting too and along with my chapter , just seeing that and they still made me feel like welcome and all that stuff when I was gone .

Speaker 2 6:50

But it was just kind of like dang , I'm missing out on a lot of the last and senior fun things , but at the same time I'm over here at a beach when everybody's in class , so it was fun around like on a golf course scene . Like I really had the opportunity to like see really nice courses , especially up at Pinehurst in North Carolina where like big like PGA tournaments happen and not everybody has the opportunity to go there .

Speaker 1 7:10

That's amazing . Oh man , I'm very jealous . Thank you very much .

Speaker 2 7:13

I appreciate it . You're welcome Of course .

Speaker 1 7:17

So what were some opportunities that you saw where you were able to take the lead in certain projects in your internship ?

Speaker 2 7:23

Yeah , you know , I was actually like the only girl at one point . It was like a whole thing . I had a roommate . She left the internship less than 48 hours being there , just because she realized it wasn't for her . And I tried to tell her to just like try it out , see how it goes . But I think it was one of those things . After she read the contract and everything , it was just kind of like she didn't realize what she was getting herself into , which I totally get .

Speaker 2 7:45

And then it was me for a while and then it was just like me with the other guys and I was like you know what , I'm the only girl here , but that doesn't make me any less of them because like I can bring just as much as like they can to to the table absolutely and throughout , like the internship , you also see other people's work ethic , their strengths , their weaknesses , my strengths and weaknesses , I would say leadership-wise . I'm really big on communication and I would say the tournament director saw that and just being very reliable and dependable , because I actually just called one of the old tournament directors the other day basically thanking him for all his help , because he helped us on training and just other stuff , and I was like , hey , I just want to say thank you for everything that you've done . Best of luck , all that stuff . And he said he said thank you to me and he said I was like the only one he could really rely on out of everybody at the house and there was like about like almost 10 of us at one point .

Speaker 2 8:33

There was a lot and I felt , like you know , I felt like I got an advantage of anything being a woman because , it's like you know , I was more . They could tell , I was more organized and on top of things and everything , and no matter what task it was , even if it was mailing something , which that was annoying , going up to ups . But I was like you know what I'm doing . It like it's , it's not gonna get done if nobody else does it and it's like if anything , they know I'll get it done . So just kind of like being like relied on for communication .

Speaker 2 9:03

And then , throughout the middle of the internship , I got assigned as inventory for our trailer . Okay , because that's a thing . Yep , I had to do inventory for every little single thing , ranging from the amount of scissors , the amount of sharpies we had , from bags to the amount of flags . Um , and just being just because they saw how responsible and organized I was and like knowing how to like put things back where they need to go in the trailer versus another team . They just throw everything together and when it comes to like set up or clean up . When you need to run back to the trailer for something , you know where exactly it is .

Speaker 1 9:36

So you think that there are certain skills maybe , or characteristics that someone should develop or prepare for to sort of advance in their internship ?

Speaker 2 9:49

Yeah , I would say just kind of like whatever you already have like for your strengths , just take that and see how you can apply it . I think that's what I kind of did . I was , like you know , my tournament director . She noticed the first like week or so how organized I was in the hotel , keeping everything together , you know , and just like all organized , like all organized , not messy . And she was , like you know , you're really good at like keeping things clean and knowing where things go .

Speaker 2 10:10

So I'm gonna assign you to inventory , whereas , like one of the guys they were assigned to like the driving and stuff and all the vehicle and trailer maintenance which like worked out perfect . Because it's like I don't want to do that . I did not sign up for this and I'd rather do something that like fits me more in a way , and then just with like being very personable , outgoing and kind of like I can like talk to literally anybody . They put me as a starter for most of the time versus like somebody who was very quiet . They just went and did like ball spotting and then they just watched your groups .

Speaker 2 10:41

So there was like that difference of like my strengths are being able to like put myself out there talk to parents . So yeah , I'm gonna be a starter so I can be like , hey , how's everybody doing ? And if there was anything important , for example like shuttles , I'd be like parents , because they would all stand right by the starting , by the t-box , and I was like parents . Just a heads up . We have shuttling from nine to ten . You guys are more than welcome to help out , but other than that , that's the only hole so you can shuttle .

Speaker 2 11:05

So it was really nice because I think some people wouldn't be able to kind of execute that in that way and they knew that I would be able to do that .

Speaker 1 11:11

Right , yeah , wow . So do you think that your this specific internship as a operations intern fit well with the skills that you had ?

Speaker 2 11:20

I would say so at times . Hands-on skills wise , yes , knowledge of the actual game not the best , just because it was a struggle , going into a sport that I didn't know much about and it's like already being like a woman , woman of color , and then also just like being naturally small .

Speaker 2 11:40

You know , I did get asked if I was 18 one time and I was like great and I'm like okay and like it was just crazy , and sometimes like there was times where I felt like underestimated and I could just tell by the way like the parents would act or just like the way they like viewed me . That's where it was kind of hard , because I felt like I didn't have the confidence I normally would have in a different sport to when , like , a parent would try to step in or like when , I got confused with the ruling I would have to .

Speaker 2 12:07

I really relied heavily on , like my tournament director , and so that's where it was kind of hard , skill wise , I would say . And it was crazy because during tournament weekends , like the first weekend during training , I was just kind of like not necessarily blindsided , I just didn't really understand . I was like , whoa , I did not realize . Training , like we're full on first weekend running the tournament , rather than like , yeah , we got the training of how to do whole locations , yardages and setting up like behind the scenes , but not like how to actually run a tournament , how to keep up pace of play , t times and then just things that they have to do on their app and everything and then scoring . So that was all just like a lot at once and skill wise that was hard because like you're stepping , you , you're basically getting thrown out there .

Speaker 2 12:46

You're like okay , here you go , figure it out , but also , like it's not , I'm not . I knew I wasn't the only one that was struggling , because everybody else was like what do we do ? How do ? We do this , so it's nice to feel like not alone , but also kind of like when you have everybody that doesn't know what they're doing Everybody knows what they're doing .

Speaker 2 13:01

Yep , it is hard Skill-wise . That's where I say it would be kind of hard . But everything else , if I would say like , if people are really like strong and like their strengths of like working hands-on , you know setting up things , of how they're supposed to do more behind the scenes , then yeah , perfect for this internship . But just I would probably . They said you didn't have to know much about golf , and luckily I don't want to say easy sport to understand , but it's something that you could like pick up , like the more practice that you get . Okay .

Speaker 1 13:32

Yeah , of course .

Speaker 2 13:33

Yeah , um , my tournament director at the end , actually on Monday , said I was the most improved intern . Wow , um , because I came in and thank you . I came in not knowing like a single thing of like how some of the things worked in golf , especially when it comes to numbers . You know like counting , and they hit multiple times .

Speaker 2 13:49

So many numbers , so many numbers and I'm like at one point this kid asked me and I was like where are we getting these numbers from ? And I was like I need to ask because this is actually so bad . But that's like where we the lack of training kind of put us at . It's like they didn't really fully tell us how we get all these numbers .

Speaker 1 14:18

And like those numbers are important when it comes to scoring . So it's hard , yeah , yeah . Um , you mentioned some challenges that you have as being a person of color and a woman in sport .

Speaker 2 14:22

What ? How did you overcome some of those things ? Oh oh , it was hard . It took me a while because you know , golf course already is just predominantly like rich white people . And it was just hard because it's like you're already you kind of like . Sometimes I would get like looked at and like it happened a couple weeks ago and I almost asked like a couple . I was like can I help you with anything ? Not in a rude way , but I was just felt like I was stared at more than like normal , as if they've never seen like a colored person on a course or like what is she doing here here , type of thing . And that's why I liked , like during tournaments , like we had our uniform with our name

Leadership Development and Self-Advocacy

Speaker 2 14:53

and then like a tournament staff sign , so like if people saw us they knew we were part of the tournament , whereas like on set up day , where we didn't have any of that stuff , it just kind of felt like sometimes I felt like I didn't really belong .

Speaker 2 15:04

You know , at the beginning it was really hard because , like I said , I've never really other than like mini golf and stuff , I've never actually fully been on a golf course like that yeah , other than that I haven't really experienced like what it's like to be out like on a golf course and just like cruising around on a golf cart , and so sometimes , like I just kind of felt like you know , maybe this really isn't for me , and it kind of sucked because I was like I could be kind of doing something better here at KU , but at the same time , like , if anything I would say , this internship made me like a stronger person . It was also hard because , like I said , sometimes I felt underestimated , depends on the parents . Some of them were really rude , some of them were really nice , some of them admitted they didn't know how it worked either and I was like great me , neither , that's a joke , but yeah , I was like perfect . I mean , they're learning . The little kids are still learning .

Speaker 1 15:52

Yeah , so it sounds like also that you have to have a lot of confidence in yourself , being a woman of color , to be in this industry . Kind of walk me through that . How does that ? How do you get that confidence every day ?

Speaker 2 16:09

I think a lot of it actually helped too with my tournament director . She , um , is hispanic and I we also talked about that as well just being a woman of color in this industry .

Speaker 2 16:18

I mean , there were times where we did see like some diversity , but not like a lot , and it always made me happy when I saw other , like um , people from india there , you know , it's just like you don't really see that much and I was was like , oh my God , and it just like makes you happier because it's like , okay , there are people like us that are playing and getting involved in this sport you know , absolutely .

Speaker 2 16:37

Like it's not just the basic stereotype but there could be more room for improvement there . Honestly , being like a woman of color , it was hard because some days I would like wake up and be like I don't want to do this or like I'm not confident enough . I just kind of went in not with the best mindset sometimes . But yeah , it was just hard , I would say . Sometimes I would be like you know what ? It's not necessarily I didn't want to do it . It's like I didn't want anything bad or apparent to like come at me or a player , or like a ruling that cost somebody like them being one point away or so from winning and all this stuff , or even it was just crazy because I'm like you know , I've been doing this for the four months and it's like even the last month .

Speaker 2 17:15

I'm like I don't know why I get so nervous sometimes you know , and I think it was from like still not having the full like knowledge or confidence in the like rules of that game versus like another sport that I know . And it's just like it was hard because I was like I'm already the only girl , yeah , and then like just being a person of color , it's just like almost felt like some parents were kind of like shocked , like oh my god , like you know , like and I already look younger to them and they , the parents , don't know that we're like interns and so , like you have to kind of like step back and see their like perspective .

Speaker 2 17:49

I felt like sometimes we would go there and like , right in the morning I would try to like make a presence to all the parents , say hi , but at the same time , like they would come up to me , ask me all these questions and I think at some points they thought I was a tournament director .

Speaker 2 18:01

And so I'd be like they're like , yeah , I was like , actually you can speak to her as our tournament director , you know , and it just kind of felt like that pressure of you have to know and have an answer for every single thing somebody asks you .

Speaker 1 18:16

And it's hard . Yeah , it is , it is really hard . I feel like sometimes , as people of color , we're expected to know everything and be perfect , and that must be extremely difficult , especially being a woman of color in the sport industry , in a sport such as golf . So , it must be very difficult and , man , I feel for you for the amount of stuff that you had to go through with parents and things like that , thank you .

Speaker 2 18:42

And it's hard because I think it was one of those things where , like I said , we have a tournament every weekend and it's like you constantly see it . It's like I would be the only , like even my tournament director and I . She like texted me one time when we were out and she was like we were the only two people of color and I'm like don't see it like that .

Speaker 1 18:58

But I'm like you're not wrong .

Speaker 2 19:01

And I'm like oh gosh , but I mean every weekend .

Speaker 2 19:04

I mean it's the same like thing , you know , not as much like diversity , and it kind of sucks because here at KU and like the culture that we have and all the diversity like it's great and it's like it's something that I don't want to say you take for granted , but it's like when you go down , especially within this industry , and then it's like not like that it's just kind of like makes it hard to find a way to like fit in and feel like welcome and belong in that industry . And I think that's where that was my biggest struggle . Yeah , because I would go in there confident , know what .

Speaker 1 19:36

I'm doing . I'm starting for two or three hours . People compliment me . So then , what keeps you going to go through this journey to be a industry professional ? What keeps you motivated ? You ?

Speaker 2 19:45

know I would say I mean I love and have like a passion of sports for sure , and if I didn't , my major would not be sports management I mean I definitely want to like stay in this industry .

Speaker 2 19:55

Golf specifically , I'm not sure I think it would be great .

Speaker 2 19:58

A lot of it , too was hard because it was like junior golf , whereas if it was professional or just more behind the scenes of professional , it would be completely different .

Speaker 2 20:05

Okay , I think I would actually enjoy it a little bit more and not struggle as much . For me it was more just trying to find the love and passion of the game compared to like how others like see it , because I didn't grow up around the game or knew like a lot about it , especially in a state that we don't have it all year round , whereas , like you have kids coming from Florida who do it all the time , All the time . So it's hard . But you know , with all the experiences I have here at KU too , I've like volunteered for the track and field team , the soccer team on time and just like everything just going to the games in general . It's just so much fun and it's insane to like kind of see , like what people do and like how they do it and like saying like that's their job , like they get to do this no-transcript

Facing Challenges as a Woman of Color

Speaker 2 21:15

and I think seeing like , like seeing on social media , like all these like coaches , like women's of like college sports and stuff like that .

Speaker 2 21:21

You know um kim mulkey , the uh women's lsu basketball coach you know I think it's great for like how far she's come and you know you don't see much like women , like head coaches for college basketball and I think it's great to show that like this can happen and like this is like real , you know , and giving the opportunity to other people that want to do that .

Speaker 2 21:40

Um , and I always told myself , you know , if I could be in a big like franchise or something you know , or with like a big team , I think it would be great to kind of like climb up the ladder , prove to myself and others that , like you know , or with like a big team , I think it would be great to kind of like climb up the ladder , prove to myself and others that , like you know , not only men can do it . You know . I mean this past , like NFL draft , me and my tournament director were watching it and there was like one of the like rooms or whatever and I was like , wow , look at all those men and there's only like one girl . But it made me happy that the announcers were like two women and I was like , look at that . That's great , but there's still room for improvement with that .

Speaker 1 22:08

Yeah , absolutely , and .

Speaker 2 22:09

I think it goes to show that , like , women aren't just as capable as men , it's just more of sharing and like giving the opportunity to other women .

Speaker 1 22:17

Right , yeah , I love that Especially . I mean , we need more women in this sport . I think that we get a little bit underestimated when we think about women and sports and that we don't like sports or are interested in it , which is a huge misconception , and you know , I think you're just one person setting that standard to just keep pushing it forward for sure the industry to progress absolutely .

Speaker 2 22:39

I've had so many people that are like guys . They'll be like I didn't know you liked sports like that so much like I can't believe I'm like . I don't live under a rock like I , I Like . God forbid . A girl can watch sports and , you know , actually enjoy it and also have the opportunity to work in it as well .

Speaker 2 22:54

Seeing like the behind the scenes of a tournament director with this industry and like all the things you have to do that like us interns don't have to do . You know , sometimes some of the TDs wouldn't execute as well and it's like in the back of my head . I'm like you know what , if I was in that position , I would step up and I would be able to do that Like .

Speaker 1 23:16

So it just shows it's like women are just as capable to fulfill those steps and do what everybody else has been doing . What do you think some of the things that interns or early career professionals should start preparing for once they get into their internship ? Because you mentioned that it was kind of a rude way , so kind of talk to me about that .

Speaker 2 23:28

I would say golf is just hard because it's just like different . You know , you're starting really early mornings and then , there was times for set-up day . We would get there so early and there's already people out there ready to golf . And I'm like who wakes up and be like I want to go golfing at 6 am .

Speaker 1 23:42

I'm like I don't even want to be here .

Speaker 2 23:43

Yeah , it's insane and that was just like I don't even want to be here .

Speaker 2 23:46

but here we are and so just kind of like preparing yourself for like those either long days , long nights and early mornings you know , and then it's also like it's kind of like temporary , because it's you're working Friday through Sunday , with those long days and nights , but the rest of the week you have off . And I think that was kind of my struggle too , while still being like a student , because I would be busy . On the weekends my friends would be free , or like during the week they're in class or studying and they can't really like have time to call me or whatever .

Speaker 2 24:14

And so that was like kind of hard finding the balance . So I think post-grad , when everybody's like actually working a full-time job , it would be different , but that was hard . Just kind of like depending , I would say , what sport you go into , just making sure you have a little bit of knowledge under your belt . But it was one of those things . If you could pick up and learn things easily , then you'll be fine .

Speaker 2 24:32

Okay , just kind of like having that knowledge and just knowing what you're getting yourself into and then also being prepared to like face like whatever comes like at you . You know all these challenges and just like adversity , working through it and like no matter , like what you go through , it just shows you that you're a stronger person . And then also , um yeah , just being able to like navigate and work with different people . And it sucks because you could be having a bad day , but you gotta go like put a smile on your face and be like oh my god , hey , how are you ? And or you have a player that didn't do the best and you still gotta like support them where . That was hard for me because they'd be like I shot whatever and I was like I don't know that good , bad , I don't know like .

Speaker 2 25:10

I'm sorry you're the one playing this I'm not but I mean days like when it's super hot and they're walking all 18 holes like I get that . That is I can only imagine , and it's just like you know , after like whole 11 , 12 , they're just kind of like checked out ready to be done because it's either so hot or so cold and they just want to be done and so you got to still be able to like support them and be like good job , we'll see you guys tomorrow . And like you gotta like act like you're enjoying , like what you're doing sometimes , when some days you don't . But I think what the best part of like working in sports is , like every day , is something new . Um , you know , you create like those connections and stuff and then it just sucks because it's like one of those things . It's like dang , we're really done . Or it's like one week we were just in like Florida and the next week we're in Kentucky . So it's just crazy how fast like the turnaround is yeah , yeah .

Speaker 1 25:58

So talk to me about how important it is to take advantage of your internships , especially a woman of color .

Speaker 2 26:04

Like I said , there's room for improvement and like kind of showing like what we're capable of .

Speaker 2 26:08

So I think , being a woman of color in this industry , you have like the opportunity to prove to others like it doesn't really matter what like color skin , like I can still do what you're doing .

Speaker 2 26:17

You know , just kind of like proving to yourself and others and just like you know you're here for a reason and it's like I'm here to show the company too that like what you're capable of . And it's like I went in there with the mindset of like I'm gonna be the best intern they've ever seen . Know , and I think , definitely for my team and for like the company , I got like a lot of shout outs during the like meetings and stuff that we had . We had our weekly meetings every Thursday morning and we'd go through each team and like basically review on the tournaments and I would always have a name mentioned in the surveys and then they would shout me out and be like good job , malia , on like your bubbly personality and stuff like that or customer service . So it was nice because it goes to show , like you know , I can do the same exact thing everybody else is doing that's awesome .

Speaker 1 27:00

So now you are in your final weeks of your college education . You're about to graduate . What is next for you ? What's next ?

Speaker 2 27:11

oh man , I would say you know this internship . It was like a struggle at times , being this is my first time 13 hours away from home .

Speaker 1 27:17

Right .

Speaker 2 27:17

And I felt like I had the same routine and schedule every single week , you know , leaving Thursday for the tournaments , coming back Sunday or Monday and then having our off days and then , before you know it , you're

Finding Motivation in Sports Management

Speaker 2 27:27

right back at it again .

Speaker 2 27:33

So I felt like , whereas like here , when I was like taking seven classes with the routine of like coming to like a school building and stuff , I had to go to like Starbucks to work on stuff because I felt like I couldn't work on things or focus back home . But I also noticed myself I wasn't as like motivated or disciplined at times . You know , like you saw how hard I was working the last semester looking for internships and now I'm like in the same boat again , but for a job yeah , and so .

Speaker 2 27:52

I'm just like here we go again . So it's just like . I already hated that last time and it's already a struggle again . Um , I don't have post-grad um plans right now , just because with the internship I noticed , with my stress , anxiety and mental and physical health at times too , wasn't the best , which made it even hard for me to want to be like okay , I need to sit down and start playing . But yeah , with all the like everything that I went through , the stress and stuff , it was just kind of hard to like kind of find myself and be like okay , what do I want to do next ? Where do I start , knowing that I'm like having to prepare myself to come back here , move back , get re-situated again , get ready for graduation and then be prepared .

Speaker 2 28:25

Everybody's been asking me with that like a post-grad and I'm like , oh my , I don't know and then it's just kind of like it's hard , and there was some times I'm like you know , do I really want to stay in sports for the rest of my life ?

Speaker 2 28:35

I think it would be great for something to start like my career , depending on what I'm doing or where I'm going . And then there's like , because you hear all the time , people worked in it for so long and then they just find something else . But I'm the type that's really like hardheaded and I'm like I got , I spent , like worked my butt off for this degree and I am proud of everything that I've done . And , like you know , I'm a hard worker . I don't just settle for less . I like actually put in the time and effort and it's like if I'm doing that , I want to utilize and use my degree for that reason and not just like do all that stuff for nothing and then go work something else that doesn't pertain to my major , because it's like at that point it's like what was the point of spending all that time ? And so really passionate about that .

Speaker 2 29:20

So that's why I'm very big on like no matter where I end up , I definitely want to like put myself out there , get like a nice like move up the ladder and stuff and like show to myself and others that like I know what I'm capable of or what I can bring to the table . That's awesome .

Speaker 1 29:30

That's super inspiring and I love that so much .

Speaker 2 29:33

I appreciate that and again , thank you so much . I like I said last semester , like you really helped me a lot .

Speaker 2 29:38

I don't know what I would have done without you , um , all the like talks and stuff and just working with like interview questions and just stuff like that and cover letter , like there was so many people . I was just like I said I was disappointed that nobody else took you up on it , because I was like this really helped me like a lot , especially . I think one thing our sport management program really helps a lot too is working on professionalism . After I met with Kelly at the PGA tour , my tournament director was like she was like Malia , I really love your professionalism , like you do such a great job at that and I was like thank you so much I was like I was like shout out KU sports management , because that's literally what they prepare us for , and I think that was .

Speaker 2 30:13

Another struggle , too , is like we get prepared for , like the real world here , getting all like set and ready to go and all these expectations , and then sometimes you go to a company and it's not that , and it's just kind of like whoa , it's like a step back .

Speaker 2 30:25

You're like this is not what I prepared for , like what I was wanting , and it's like where's all the stuff that we talked about in class and worked on ? Like , where's the professionalism , where's the communication organization , you know , and it sucks because sometimes everybody's like , well , that's kind of like how it is everywhere else and it's just kind of like , well , that's not how it like works to make a company run efficiently .

Speaker 2 30:44

But , okay , and so I would say I was really grateful to have like that background in professionalism and really grateful to have like that background and professionalism and that practice and everything which definitely helps me a lot , like in my confidence of knowing , like how to present myself when I need to .

Speaker 1 31:00

That's amazing . I'm so glad that all the things that we did to prepare helped you and gave you all the skill sets to just even give you this competitive edge with others .

Speaker 2 31:08

Like it's amazing is there anything else ?

Speaker 1 31:11

that you want to share .

Speaker 2 31:13

Yeah , of course , I would say . I feel like we should focus on something like the positives out of this . Yes , yes , yes as much as like everything that I went through , I would say the like relationships that I made with everybody .

Speaker 1 31:25

Oh nice .

Speaker 2 31:25

It was just kind of fun to see like all of us grow in a way and kind of see . Another great experience was just like being able to travel all throughout the Southeast , kind of see . Another great experience was just like being able to travel all throughout the southeast . Like I said , it was crazy like everybody would be like oh my god , I can't believe you're at like the beach or I've got to go to like two nba games . I've never been to those . I went to two atlanta games the braves games were like really fun and I was just like you know I don't get these opportunities all the time . When am I gonna be out in like florida again down in miami ?

Speaker 2 31:49

so it's like you know , taking the advantage of like being out there having fun , but also being able to know like when to like work and stuff . Traveling was great , the networking , the experiences seen all over , um , being able to like like Pinehurst and stuff like that , have that like where a lot of those kids don't have that opportunity . My dad was so jealous because he's like that's a course I want to see and play on sometime .

Speaker 1 32:10

And I'm like it's crazy .

Speaker 2 32:12

I've heard great things about it , and so I would say , with that stuff it was good , but it was nice because it's like you can find that fun balance like with your teammates being able to work hard and like do your job but also still like have fun and just like the memories that you create . Because it's crazy , like looking back , like two months ago were like wherever , like St Simon's , and then now it's like I'm back here and not even doing it . So it's like crazy how fast like it goes by . Um , there were some times where it was just like , oh my gosh , I want this to be over . I'd like count down , but I'm like you know what , it's only temporary . I'm glad I did , like I'm proud and glad to say that like I went out of state and I got to do like what I wanted to do and I would say , other than that , um , my like team and stuff will definitely like keep in touch . Like we already talked about planning like a reunion either this summer next summer .

Speaker 2 33:01

Um , because they're just such great people and I think that was a big thing for me . It's crazy . I got put in a house with random people , right . It's like you either really like them or you really don't . And then it's like it's insane how it works , because it's like that happens and it's like next thing you know you're done and you're like besties with them so it's like dang , this like

Post-Graduation Plans and Reflections

Speaker 2 33:18

sucks and it's crazy how it like works like that .

Speaker 2 33:20

But being able to navigate and know like who you can trust and who you can work with the best , and just knowing , like when the appropriate time is to like say stuff as like a joke or not and stuff just learning about everyone and then how everyone kind of moves at different pace , like for opening it up and understanding like one another , whereas , like for me , I'm very like bubbly and personal . I felt like I was fine . And then you have somebody from your team who's like really quiet . So it's like really hard to be like hey , like you're back there thinking like do they like me or do they like do they not want to work with me or are they just naturally really quiet ? So it's just kind of like figuring that out , because you're basically put with like random people . Um , and then as you kind of grow as a team , and like person .

Speaker 2 34:01

It's kind of fun to see like everybody like from the start yep to now .

Speaker 1 34:05

Yeah , that's amazing . I you know I you have developed such immense growth in your early professional life and I'm super proud of the things that you've accomplished , the invaluable knowledge that you've shared . This is amazing . Thank you for being on the show .

Speaker 2 34:20

You're welcome . I really appreciate it . Thank you for having me and this is definitely what did you say .

Speaker 1 34:25

This is see you later , not goodbye .

Speaker 2 34:28

Yeah , not goodbye , see you later , for sure .

Speaker 1 34:30

And congratulations on graduating . Thank you so much you definitely deserve this , and I hope you have the best of luck in your future .

Speaker 2 34:37

Thank you , you as well . I'm excited to see where you go to as well . Thank you so much .

Speaker 1 34:41

You're welcome Awesome .