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This past summer, graduate business student attended the 2025 NCAA Career in Sports Forum at the national headquarters in Indianapolis. The four-day event allowed student-athletes from across the nation to come together and explore professional and career development. For Rios, who stars on the ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÉç women's tennis team, this leadership forum was an opportunity to open her eyes on the various careers available in sports. 

Q: Ana, how was your experience attending the 2025 NCAA Career in Sports Forum, and what did you learn

Rios: It was an incredible experience, and a great opportunity to learn from other professionals and peers. The forum was divided into two sections; the first was career development, where we focused on learning more about individual skills among students from different groups and how we can use our skills in different careers in the sports industry. The second was networking, which focused on learning through panels, talks, and various events from other professionals in the sports industry. Both were very important for me, as I learned about what career path I would like to take in the future.

Q:  What did you learn that you hope to take back with you to campus, and to the women's tennis team this year?

Rios: One of the program's main focuses was on building community or identifying your community and being able to assume a leadership role within it. I think it's one of the forum's most valuable lessons, and one that can be applied in different areas, not just in professional life. One of the phrases I took away from the conference was "if serving is beneath you, leading is beyond you." I would love to bring that mentality to ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÉç and my team. To assume a leadership role, we must be able to give more of ourselves without needing to receive anything in return, because that's where real change begins.

Q: Now on the flip side, were there any things you learned at ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÉç or on your team that helped you while attending the NCAA Career in Sports Forum?

Rios: At ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÉç, I learned about proper networking etiquette, which was very useful during the various networking events we held during the program. I also felt that when it came to creating my growth plan, which consisted of creating my ideal team to achieve my goals, I was proud to see that most of those people were connections I made through the school.

Q: Did this forum open your eyes to the many possibilities of working in sports? What are your future goals?

Rios: Yes, it did. Talking with the different professionals not only about their jobs but also about their passions and the ways they carry out their daily lives, I was able to realize the things we had in common and was able to ask them how they discovered their own path. I'm happy to say that after attending the forum, I was able to clarify my ideas and decided that I want to focus my future career on sports operations and administration. This gave me clarity to pursue my goal of earning my Masters in Sports Management or MBA in sports, which I hope to obtain through a Graduate Assistant position. I plan to apply to different institutions across different divisions and choose the program that best suits me.

Q: Is there any advice you would give your fellow student-athletes who are contemplating going to this forum in the future or if some or deciding on pursuing working in sports after college?

Rios: I advise you to be brave, not to be afraid of asking for help or talking to people, to remember not only to focus on networking vertically but also horizontally. In the end, we're all in the same boat together. The best support you may need could come from a complete stranger, a classmate, a teammate or even an acquaintance you haven't seen in a long time. So, my advice is to be brave and take risks because opportunities are there to be taken advantage of. Opportunities like this forum are good experiences for life and career development.