Your Project, Our Classroom

Texas A&M University is proud to partner with sport organizations across the globe. With this alliance and investment, Texas A&M University can provide our Capstone Experience students with hands-on and practical experience. By working with our students, this real-world experience impacts their lives as leaders and future employees in the Sport Management field.

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Jack Tucker, 2023

Jack Tucker

In my internship with Peak Events, I sold corporate sponsorships for Peak Events' collegiate baseball tournaments. This included cold-calling and dropping in on different businesses to engage in B2B transactions. During the internship, I went through the entire sales process, including prospecting, cold-calling, data needs analysis, presenting, negotiations, and closing with every client for our Las Vegas Classic.

Words of Wisdom

 

  • Never be scared to try new things; always utilize your time wisely.

Jack Chance, 2024

Jack Chance

My Business Project for the Valero Alamo Bowl was a social media and marketing hybrid project. The goal of this experience was to give guidance and input based on actual statistics and hard proof to reach new audiences and expand all social media platforms for the organization. During this experience, I created spreadsheets compiling numerical data of the Valero Alamo Bowl's competitors and how they run their social media. I have also introduced multiple social media expansion options, such as creating link-grouping websites, posting schedules, and new content ideas. In December, my partner and I traveled to San Antonio to work as a volunteer for the game and the week leading up to it. 

 

Words of Wisdom 

 

  • Speak up about your opinions and let them know how you feel about certain things.
  • Prove to others that you are worth listening to.

Everett Gay, 2024

Everett Gay

I have diligently worked with the Valero Alamo Bowl staff to help create an online space where fans of the bowl, or college football fans, can find the information they need. Our goal was to gain online followers through all of the game's social media accounts and grow the Alamo Bowl's brand image. We were able to pitch ideas that could help grow those online accounts and gain traction outside of the niche of college football. My partner Jack Chance and I researched how other bowl games performed over the past year and what they did well online. We tracked how many posts were made, what type of posts they were, and how many interactions were garnished since they were posted. Jack and I were fortunate to work the week leading up to the Alamo Bowl. We gained hands-on experience while helping the social media teams plan out their posts for the week.

Words of Wisdom

  • Push through the difficulties to succeed.

Hannah Ager, SPMT 2023

Hannah Ager

In the second summer session in 2022, I had the pleasure of attending Dr. Paul Batista’s Sport Business in Europe education abroad trip. It was a five-week-long trip to Germany and Austria, with opportunities for independent travel on our weekends when we did not have anything scheduled (our trip group chose to go to Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Dublin, Ireland). In these five weeks, I met some of my closest friends that I still talk to nearly every day. There were so many opportunities for us to explore what we wanted to on our own while still having the structure of the trip planned for us. Some of my favorite sites that we got to visit were FC Cologne’s stadium and FC Bayern Munich’s stadium. I have watched and kept up with these teams for a very long time and seeing these stadiums in person rather than on TV was exhilarating. Another one of the most influential sites we got to visit was the Dachau Concentration Camp located outside of Munich. I have learned about World War II and the Holocaust so much throughout the years at school and through movies. But nothing compares to walking through where these horrors actually happened. It was so eerie and incredibly sad. I was pretty much speechless the entire time I was there and left with a really gloomy feeling. I am really grateful that I got to see that in person because it is incredibly moving and shows the reality of what happened during that time. We also had the opportunity to listen to many different guest lectures throughout our trip that were all extremely interesting. My favorite lecture by far was Mr. Felix Boronczyk’s discussion about European soccer. Since I know a pretty good amount about the topic, what he was talking about all made sense to me and I found it really interesting.

 

Words of Wisdom

  • Studying abroad gives you a whole new perspective on how people in other countries live and it is really cool.
  • You will (hopefully) meet some of your closest friends on the trip.
  • Spending every moment of 5 weeks together leads to you bonding quickly with your group!
  • It is an experience you can't get back, there are so many opportunities for scholarships and financial aid for the trip. I would preach to anyone that they should find a way to go.

Brandon Pake, SPMT 2023

Brandon Pake

For my Capstone Experience - Business Project, I worked with San Antonio Sports and David Castro, Director of Events & Operations. I researched former players that played in the annual San Antonio All-Star Game at the Alamodome. I was looking for stats of former players who are now playing football at the college level. There was a total of over 400 athletes for this project that I had to find information on. I also created a "hype" video for the organization to boost awareness of the all-star game. This Capstone Experience - Business Project was super helpful in getting my foot in the door of the sports job community. I am grateful for the opportunity. I have learned various new skills and met some amazing people along the way. This experience is one of my favorite projects I worked on during my time at Texas A&M University. 

 

Words of Wisdom

 

  • This project was an opportunity to do something meaningful in the sports industry. Use this opportunity to your advantage.
  • Go above and beyond the requirements, and it will pay off. 
  • Have fun with the project but work hard because you never know where it could take you. 

Andrew Ekleberry, SPMT 2023

Andrew Ekleberry

Throughout this Culminating Experience, I have learned to develop new segments. I gathered research and data to make strategic decisions effectively. This problem-solving project ultimately led me to develop the events the Spurs organization can utilize. I also developed effective means of communication and project management. This experience allowed me to become self-sufficient when given a task to complete with little instruction. Overall, this experience allowed me to utilize the foundation that Texas A&M has built for me through my curriculum. I developed skills on top of this foundation and really immersed myself in my project. This Capstone Experience - Business Project has made me feel more prepared as an upcoming graduate to perform tasks professionally.

 

Words of Wisdom

  • Dedication, Professionalism, Integrity    

Toni Clark, SPMT 2024

Toni Clark

My Culminating Experience was the best opportunity for me to grow as an individual and prepare myself for after my time at Texas A&M. I met so many new people not just from Seoul, but also from countries such as China, Australia, and Japan. Being able to say I have international friends gives me a unique trait. I came to Seoul not knowing anyone, being lost in a new environment, and adjusting to learning the Korean language and culture. In a positive outcome, I am now halfway through the year fo my study abroad trip, and I plan to return to Seoul for graduate school after graduating from Texas A&M. 

Words of Wisdom

  • No matter what Culminating Experience you are assigned, all of them are great opportunities to grow as an individual.
  • Stepping out of your comfort zone will not be an easy adjustment when you have to present yourself in the working field, but with time, the experiences you will gain will make adult life seem much easier and make you more prepared!

Grant Glasson, SPMT 2023

Grant Glasson

Working on this project for Athletes in Action sports facilities has been a privilege. Through my collaboration with AIA, I have identified areas for improvement and provided recommendations that will enhance the overall experience for your athletes, visitors, and staff. Working on this project has further enhanced my knowledge of my career path in working in sport facility management. I have been blessed to work with such an awesome group of people.

Words of Wisdom

  • This project has taught me to always approach any job or opportunity with an open mind and a willingness to learn. Listen to the needs and goals of the people I am working with and work collaboratively to develop solutions that meet those needs.
  • Secondly, communication is key. I have learned that communication is very important with the organization and team members to ensure everyone is on the same page and that progress is being made toward the end goal.
  • Lastly, this project has taught me not to be afraid to think outside the box and offer innovative solutions. A fresh perspective and unique ideas can often lead to groundbreaking solutions that can significantly impact an organization.

Nathaniel Evans, SMPT 2024

Nathaniel Evans

For my experience, I started off working with David Kensinger learning about marketing at Athletes in Action's sports complex and retreat center. After a few weeks of doing this, I was moved to help Matt Dunn market the Keys to Life breakfast at the Final Four in Houston. For this event, I did a lot of grassroots marketing by creating databases and sending emails to universities, media outlets, and churches. I was also given the great opportunity of going to the event in person, where I helped with operations. This experience was a once in a lifetime opportunity where I was able to grow and learn with real hands-on work.

Words of Wisdom

  • Be flexible always. 
  • Take the experience one day at a time. 
  • Ask lots of questions.

Carter Norwat, SPMT 2024

Carter Norwat

I went to the Alamo Bowl and worked under Mr. Rick Hill. During the Alamo Bowl, Rick had me research and work with the social media team. I shadowed him to learn what it's like for a Vice President during the week. After this, I researched the demographics of the bowl game and looked at things that happened years ago. I compared posts of the major bowl games (Top 8) on various social media platforms. Rick wanted me to look at what all the other competitors are doing the week leading up to the game to see what the Alamo Bowl can do to improve at various levels.

Words of Wisdom

  • Don't be scared to do a Capstone Experience. Even though it's a lot of work, you'll enjoy it tremendously. 
  • There are feedback meetings and communication to know what you should be doing. Feel free to ask a lot of questions.

 

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