{"id":26957,"date":"2023-06-16T11:35:08","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T15:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=26957"},"modified":"2024-02-14T15:39:15","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T20:39:15","slug":"support-tylene-powell-passion-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/2023\/06\/support-tylene-powell-passion-sport\/","title":{"rendered":"Scholarship Support Allows Tylene Powell to Pursue Her Passion for Sport Management"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

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 \u201cSwede\u201d Frauson Sports Management Scholarship and the Wayne Williamson and Bette Rose Scholarship Endowment in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am so grateful for the support these scholarships have given me and my family,\u201d Powell said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Powell speaks with keynote speaker Michelle Snow at the inaugural Women in Sport Leadership Summit. Powell was part of a small group of undergraduate students who helped design and implement the spring event. Photo by Olivia Dail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When she’s not attending classes or studying, Powell works as an intern for NC State Athletics\u2019 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<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>. 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Bright Future Ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many people in Powell\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy family, especially my father, has taken my sister and I to many Chicago sporting events,\u201d Powell said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. \u201cI hope to bring awareness to this issue because I want to help underrepresented groups in sports who\u2019ve been negatively affected by this systematic issue,” she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d Powell said. \u201cI also want to use sport as a way to solve racial injustice and gender inequality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s community relations department to help underrepresented groups in sports and recreation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quick Tips for Success<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Powell\u2019s experiences at NC State have really helped her cultivate her dreams. Her advice for students entering the sport management major: Try everything and don\u2019t focus on just one specific interest within the sports industry because there is a wide variety of opportunities and careers within the field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cResearch, volunteer, join clubs, and talk to professors and professionals in the industry to find what you are passionate about,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. \u201cYou were chosen for a reason,\u201d she said. \u201cFind your passion and make yourself stand out from the rest because we need more women and women of color represented in the sports industry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n