Student Spotlight
Aliyah Funschelle
Aliyah Funschelle
Undergraduate Student
What made you decide to study Sport Management at WSU?
I decided to study sport management because I wanted to incorporate something I love
in my future career. I knew the program here has a really good reputation and I wanted
to be a part of it all.
Tell us about your current position with The Sunflower. How did you land this position
and can you describe your responsibilities?
I have a job that's a complete dream to me. I am a sports reporter for The Sunflower,
the campus newspaper. I am the WSU men's basketball beat reporter for the paper and
that is what made me realize my goals and dreams for my future. Not only do I do game
recaps, but I get to know the players personally and do feature stories over them.
I also live tweet the games and do personal one-on-one video interviews of the players
and coaches for social media. I was able to travel to Arch Madness and the NCAA Tournament
with the team and got to cover every aspect of the tournaments. That was such a surreal
experience for me, and I got such great experience doing so. I got hired by The Sunflower
right out of high school and I have been working there ever since. I'm a sophomore
so getting those opportunities only as a Freshman was amazing. I had a lot of journalism
experience in high school as the editor-in-chief of the newsmagazine so that helped
me land the job.
What are your career goals?
My career goal is to become a media relations director for a division one NCAA men's
basketball team or for a NBA team. I'd be happy doing any sport, but I'm striving
for basketball. Also, it would be awesome to do sideline reporting, but my more realistic
goal is the media relations director.
What has been your favorite course that you have taken during your time in Sport Management?
My favorite course so far is Sport PR which is what I'm currently taking. We're learning
about all the things I have done as the media, but I'm learning so many 鈥渂ehind the
scenes鈥� things about what I do, so that's really cool to me.
If someone asked you about your experience in the Sport Management program, what would
you tell them?
I'd tell them about how much of a blessing the program has been to me. There's so
many opportunities for us as students and so many connections. The teachers and advisors
are so personable and they truly care about the success of each student.
What has been your favorite part of the program?
One of my favorite things about the program is how each teacher I've had isn't just
a teacher, but they hold another position in the sport industry as well. The diversity
of professors and what they do is very good insight to what it's really like in the
industry. It also serves as a great way to network in the industry.
What do you plan to do after you finish the program?
After I finish the program I plan on getting a job in the media relations side of
the industry, hopefully for a basketball team.
What have you learned in this program that you plan on taking with you once you graduate?
It's not who you know, it's who knows you. That has been taught in every class, so
I'm all about making those connections everywhere I go.
In five words or less, how would you describe the Sport Management program?
Real life experiences and opportunities.