Ad Mgmt Student, Kaleigh Yunker, Explores Career in Sports Advertising
Yunker uses skills gained from her time as an athlete and student to shape her future career goals
By: Katie Delaney
There is nothing quite like the rush of your boat’s bow passing another boat in the BIG TEN championships – and it’s a regular feeling fifth-year ad management student, Kaleigh Yunker, experiences on the Division 1 Women’s Rowing team at Michigan State University.
Yunker started rowing in high school after someone encouraged her to try out, and she was instantly hooked. After she committed to MSU during her junior year, she says she was excited about competing at the highest level of competition.
When she started at MSU, an academic advisor recommended advertising management, and from there, Yunker fell in love with the program’s flexibility. With a majority of the professors having decades of experience in the field, she was able to work on real-world examples to understand what would be expected of her as a professional. The projects that she has completed have allowed her to use her creativity and combine it with her other passion: sports.
Yunker wasted no time getting started in the sports industry. She got in touch with a local baseball team, the Old North State League, hoping to get involved. The team’s founders noticed her experience as a student athlete and offered her a position as a social media coordinator for the summer.
“I like the fast-paced environment, and you’re so used to it as an athlete, too,” Yunker said when describing her ideal work environment.
As a part of her internship, she worked on post-game interviews, managing the team’s social channels, setting up the livestream for each game, and so much more. Yunker saw firsthand how her identity as a student-athlete had prepared her for the internship.
“I feel like a lot of student athletes are very big problem solvers; whether that be, mentally, physically, in their lives, in school, or post-grad, said Yunker. “I feel like that’s what a lot of people look for, and so I’m trying to apply that in my job search.”
By understanding how to apply the skills gained in her time at MSU, Yunker continues to stand out in the job market. Problem-solving, time management and dedication are just a few of the skills that she can bring to the table for her career from her time as a student-athlete.
As she finishes up both her degree and her final season with the team, Yunker says she hopes to continue to find the intersection of sports and advertising in her future career.
Follow Yunker and the Women’s Rowing Team on Instagram.
