Alumni
Meet the Pros: Sports Marketing and Public Relations
Luis Leyva (B.S. '16)
Senior Communications Coordinator San Antonio FC
“How useful can you make yourself in a lot of different ways? It’s better to be good at a lot of things than be great at one thing because, at the end of the day, that makes you more useful to somebody.”
Luis Leyva started at San Antonio FC as an intern during their inaugural year. His hard work and dedication during his internship resulted in a full-time position after graduation, and he's been with them ever since. However, his path was not always so clear. He discusses the struggles he had when choosing a degree path and how he discovered his passion for sports PR.
Steve Grande (B.A. '06)
Senior Manager of Communications Houston Astros
"I had the VP of Communications over at my cube and I was showing him how to you know how to use InDesign. He's asking an intern all these questions, you know, over anybody else in the company."
When he began job hunting, Houston native Steve Grande made a list of sports teams he would want to work for and starting applying in order. The skills he learned at Texas State landed him a job with his number one pick - the Houston Astros. He talked with us about how to make doing what you love into a career and the steps to take to give yourself a competitive edge.
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Lauren Crider (B.S. '17)
Plus Brand Specialist NBC Universal - golf now
"To put it in kind of a simple way, I've got forty bosses."
Lauren Crider manages social media accounts for 40 golf courses across the U.S. and in Ireland. She sat down with us to discuss the challenges and benefits of managing brand and reputation for multiple clients, the learning curve of working for a sport she knew little about, and how she promotes courses she's never set foot on.
Will Kent (B.B.A. '10)
Senior Manager, Partnership Marketing Minor League Baseball
"The learning never stops... the hustle never stops... it has to be a fire inside you that continues to burn."
In our first conversation, Will Kent discusses his professional journey since graduating from TXST - from tossing his graduation cap to organizing hot dog tosses - and how he navigates both the glamour and the monotony of working in minor league baseball.