How I ended up leaving Cleveland to attend Butler University.

I remember sitting with my high school guidance counselor and talking about college options. I told him that I wanted to major in either music or journalism and be a few hours from my parents. And he quickly said, “Have you heard of Butler University? And do you know anything about Indianapolis?”

I answered no to both questions. Honestly, at the time, I heard Butler and thought it was maybe a culinary school. So he showed me the brochure that had a beautiful Indy skyline picture and great campus shots. That was enough for me to apply and ultimately receive a scholarship. All of that happened before I even visited campus.

After securing a scholarship I decided to head to Indianapolis to visit the campus, and honestly, I just fell in love. The campus was amazing and I really loved the idea of a smaller school. I was interested in smaller classroom sizes and hands on learning, and Butler seemed to be a great option for both, so I took the leap and headed to Indianapolis for college.

Once I arrived on campus I quickly found my footing in the journalism program, with a minor in media arts.

Butler’s campus being so close to Downtown Indy played a big role in my college experience.

Going into my junior year, I started meeting with advisors from the School of Communications to talk about internship opportunities. By that point in my college career I was really involved on the production side of things. I had been running camera for different sports teams and loved it. I also hadn’t spent much time exploring or experiencing Indy outside of campus, even though Butler is a quick 15-minute ride from downtown Indy. 

During my last two years in school I was able to really dive into the Indianapolis community in meaningful ways.

I participated in the Pacers Sports & Entertainment internship program. That was fun because I was able to see and experience so many different areas inside of a professional sports team. We also worked game days with the game operations team, which was so much fun. That internship experience not only connected me to what was happening in the city, but also what was happening specifically around sports in Indy.

My production job on campus recording games for the Butler athletic department allowed me to successfully take those skills to the community. Myself and several classmates began running cameras for the Indianapolis Indians games. That job allowed me to experience another professional sports team and see different areas of the city.

The last way I really connected with Indy during college was as a volunteer, and my connections through the sports teams I worked with helped to connect me with Indiana Sports Corp. Back then, I didn’t really know much about the organization, but I signed up as a volunteer and was able to work on the 2004 Swimming World Championships. Being able to see and understand how much volunteering and giving back is part of the Indianapolis DNA during my college experience was great.

And each of these opportunities helped me fall a little bit more in love with Indy. In fact, when I’m talking to current Butler students I always reference getting out in the community as such an important part of their college experience. Being on an urban college campus is unique because of that proximity to the city. I wish more students would take advantage of that with local internships and volunteer shifts.

I tell people that Indy is a great place to start your career because it was a great place for me to start my career.

A little bit before graduation, I started working part-time at WTTS radio station. and had friends who worked at NUVO Newsweekly. From those connections, folks at NUVO called me and said, “Hey, there’s an open job. It’s entry level, so it’s perfect for a college graduate. You should totally apply for it.” It was an ad sales job, which wasn’t something I was that interested in, but I had been told plenty of times, “Your first job won’t be your dream job. Just go somewhere that has a great culture that you feel like you could really move up and learn a lot.”

With that great advice front of mind, I did end up applying and getting that role, which is ultimately what helped me make the decision to stay in Indianapolis. Now it wasn’t just a city I was falling in love with, it was a city that was providing me job opportunities right out of school. At the time, NUVO was putting out where to go and what to do around Indianapolis. For a recent graduate that made it an even better first job because I was constantly going and doing different things all over the city. I was there when Sun King Brewery first opened. I went to my first concert at Radio Radio. The list could go on and on. It helped me to build a better connection to the place I was calling home, and it helped me meet so many new people around Indy.

After NUVO, I spent eight years leading the marketing department at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. At this point, you can probably tell that I was all about saying yes to opportunities early in my career (and honestly, that is something I still do now). But jumping from game ops experience, to ad sales, to marketing in an arts and cultural organization. I love that Indy provided me the opportunities to see and do so much early in my career. And those opportunities put together, along with the network of connections I built by saying yes to volunteer experiences, all helped me land where I am now, the Indiana Sport Corp. 

From volunteer to Chief of Staff with Indiana Sports Corp.

It’s crazy to think that volunteering for the 2004 Swimming World Championships was one of the catalysts that helped me fall in love, and ultimately stay in Indy, would become a full circle moment when I joined the Indiana Sports Corp team as a full time staff member. Now I get to be a part of the team that brings all of these amazing events and opportunities to Indianapolis, and I hope I am helping other Butler students find their love for my city the same way. 

I started in the marketing department at Sports Corp and am now the Chief of Staff and Strategy. Throughout all of those roles I have had the opportunity to help our team secure and execute so many amazing events, including the recent 2024 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials. I love that what I get to do every day for my job is making such a huge impact on the the Indy community. And that impact is different for everyone involved. From building connections with other volunteers, to creating unforgettable moments for athletes, to helping businesses all over the state through direct economic impact from these sporting events.

When I was sitting in my counselors office in high school, I figured I would go to college and then head back to Cleveland after graduation. Not only have I chosen to stay in Indy, I have fallen in love with the people I’ve met and the community I’ve built here.