For NC State junior Tylene Powell, the support that she’s received from scholarships has been vital to her academic success. Powell, who is majoring in sport management at the College of Natural Resources, received the Natural Resources Foundation Scholarship during her freshman year and then the Jack “Swede” Frauson Sports Management Scholarship and the Wayne Williamson and Bette Rose Scholarship Endowment in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management.
“I am so grateful for the support these scholarships have given me and my family,” Powell said. “I am an out-of-state student from Charleston, South Carolina, and these scholarships have lessened the financial stress on my parents. It has also allowed me to stay focused on my academics and involvement with the College of Natural Resources and NC State Athletics.”
When she’s not attending classes or studying, Powell works as an intern for NC State Athletics’ Wolfpack Marketing Academy, supporting the fan experience and marketing during home games of various sports throughout the school year. She’s also served as a College of Natural Resources Student Ambassador for nearly two years and is part of the first cohort of students in the James Buzzard Leadership Development Program.
Powell is also heavily involved with after-school clubs and organizations and strives to be involved in the community. This summer, Powell will be working as a social media intern with a nonprofit organization called Girls on the Run Coastal South Carolina. When she is not interning and enjoying time with friends and family back at home, she also plans on working at a small summer camp in Charleston.
A Bright Future Ahead
Many people in Powell’s life inspired her to study sport management. Growing up, she wanted to try everything and aspired to be a teacher, animator, journalist and hair stylist. But then, thanks in large part to her family, she discovered sports.
“My family, especially my father, has taken my sister and I to many Chicago sporting events,” Powell said. “I was so enamored by the sense of welcoming and belonging that being a sports fan brought to me. I eventually settled on sport management as the ideal major to pursue during my senior year of high school. I had a teacher who told me that I had the potential to work in business, and sport management was the perfect choice because of its mix of business and sports.”
As she enters her junior year at NC State, Powell aims to complete an undergraduate research project about the impact of colorism in sports and recreation. “I hope to bring awareness to this issue because I want to help underrepresented groups in sports who’ve been negatively affected by this systematic issue,” she said.
“I fell in love with sports as a fan and I want to give those who are less fortunate an opportunity to experience sports as a participant or spectator,” Powell said. “I also want to use sport as a way to solve racial injustice and gender inequality.”
Powell, who expects to graduate in May 2025 with double minors in businesses administration and nonprofit studies, ultimately aspires to either work with a nonprofit sport organization or a professional baseball team’s community relations department to help underrepresented groups in sports and recreation.
Quick Tips for Success
Powell’s experiences at NC State have really helped her cultivate her dreams. Her advice for students entering the sport management major: Try everything and don’t focus on just one specific interest within the sports industry because there is a wide variety of opportunities and careers within the field.
“Research, volunteer, join clubs, and talk to professors and professionals in the industry to find what you are passionate about,” she said. “When I was a freshman, I was solely focused on sport marketing. After taking classes, talking to professors, and finding opportunities on and off campus in the sports industry, I was able to find my passion for helping those who are less fortunate to be active in sports whether as a participant or a spectator.”
For especially women of color, Powell advises against being discouraged when they might find themselves in classes or have opportunities where they are in the minority. “You were chosen for a reason,” she said. “Find your passion and make yourself stand out from the rest because we need more women and women of color represented in the sports industry.”
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