For as long as I can remember, sports have always been a part of my life. I graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in May of 2011 with a Bachelors degree in Communication. Here is how I got where I am today…

My dad was one of seven children, all of whom played tennis. Therefore, it was only natural for me to pick up a tennis racquet as soon as I could. I continued to play tennis all throughout high school, and was the first girl in school history to make it to state for tennis at Regis Jesuit High School. This passion continued to grow throughout my college years, when I decided to try out for the Club Tennis Team at the University of Colorado. Making the team allowed me to not only play tennis, but taught me the importance of networking and meeting new people.

In addition to tennis, IndyCar racing has always been an important part of my family. My dad has worked as a Pit Tech for the Indy Racing League for 26 years. I have been fortunate enough to attend the Indy 500 since I was seven years old, as well as other IndyCar races around the country. Each year, the roar of the engines instills a special feeling in my heart and brings new meaning to my life.

After making a few phone calls, I was able to shadow the Indy Racing League in Nashville and Chicago the summer after my freshman year of college. While both of these adventures were quite daunting at first, there is no doubt in my mind that they enabled me to grow into the person that I am today. That same summer, I shadowed at WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina, where my aunt is the Managing News Editor. She is just one of many people who have influenced my life in great ways. She is an extremely hard worker and has instilled that in me. Also, she has taught me the importance of fighting for what I truly want and to never stop going after my dreams.

The following summer, I interned at KUSA-TV in Denver, Colorado. I was the Community Relations intern, which meant that I helped to plan events, gave station tours and wrote articles for their web site, to name a few. During June, 2010, I traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana for a month long internship at Just Marketing International. JMI handles marketing for IndyCar, Nascar, Formula 1 and many others. After that, I returned to Denver where I wrote articles for Andretti Autosport.

For the last two years of college, I worked for the Sports Information Department, which was a great experience. I was a student assistant that worked both men’s and women’s basketball. In addition, I interviewed the student Athlete of the Week junior year and interviewed fans and celebrities at football games. Throughout the whole journey, I tried to be as proactive as possible and help in any area they saw fit.

The final adventure that I was lucky enough to partake in senior year is being a correspondent for ESPNU Campus Connection. While in Golden, Colorado for the Mopar Mile High Nationals block party, I introduced myself to a gentleman wearing an ESPN shirt who then gave me the contact of someone else at ESPN. That definitely confirmed my belief that I should never be afraid to meet new people, because they can help me to achieve things I never dreamt possible.

My mom has always taught me to be a faith-filled person. I believe that everything I have been through in the past has shaped who I am today and that God has a plan for the road ahead. Throughout my time at the University of Colorado, I strived for a well-rounded education and took advantage of all the great opportunities college can offer. However, college was just the beginning. I look forward to learning much more in the future.