Game Changer Catch Up: Carolyn Brown
Carolyn Brown is from Hampton, Virginia and a graduate student at the University of Miami studying sports administration where she hopes to receive a doctorate degree and enter the field of sports clinical psychology. She was an athlete on the women’s track and field team competing in the 100, 200 and 4x100 meter relay. Brown attended the first Game Changing Retreat in Miami, Florida.
Before we get into it, tell me about your athletic recruiting process and how you decided upon the University of Miami.
I was actually stuck on Virginia Tech because my dad played football there; I had visited the campus so many times and I just loved the school. So I just knew I was going to Virginia Tech. My last recruiting visit was South Carolina but I knew I wanted to go to Tech so I told my mom, “Let’s just cancel it.” At the time, my cousin was also getting recruited to run track, and I don’t know how or what happened, but Miami wanted both of us. Finally, the head coach, Coach Deem, reach out to me and wanted me and my cousin to make a last-minute visit. When we got there, I loved the weather and location, and I loved how the coaching was similar to what I knew back home. On the last day of the visit, Coach Deem told me Miami wanted to offer me a full ride, and right as we left, I said, “Mom, I think we need to go to the bookstore so I can get a shirt.”
Did you compete in any sports in middle school or high school besides track?
My high school was really good at track, but before high school, I cheered competitively for most of my life. I also did gymnastics and played basketball. I hated track at first because they told me I could run the 400, but it wasn’t for me. So I ran the 400 through eighth grade and hated every minute of it. During my freshman year of high school I won an indoor and outdoor state championship, so I said, “Yeah, nevermind I think I’m done with everything else. I’ll just focus on track.”
So now that you’re at Miami and done with track, what is your focus in grad school?
My focus in grad school right now is sports administration. My undergrad was in psychology, and then hopefully--because school is a lot right now--I’m hoping to get my doctorate in clinical psychology so that I can be a sports psychologist. Right now, I’m a waitress and intern in the athletic department with the on-campus sports psychologist.
So how did you get involved with The Winning Edge and how did you hear about it?
I heard about it because our associate athletic director and Student Athletic Advisory Committee faculty member Shirelle Jackson told me about it. She said that SAAC wanted representatives of Miami to apply and participate. She thought it would be a really good experience for me, and it was. She and another SAAC faculty member helped me prepare and get through the readings we had to do, and literally every little thing that we had to do that summer; they mentored me before it came time for the actual retreat. It was pretty cool. Now that I’m not a student-athlete anymore, I still tell people to apply for the Game Changing Retreat because it’s definitely a good networking event and a life-changing experience. The Retreat really gave me helpful tips about finding jobs and it also gave me the chance to network with successful people.
How do you think The Winning Edge has influenced your journey?
The Winning Edge really helped me better understand the interview process and how to market myself and because of that, I kept in contact with a few people from the retreat. Even though right now I’m just working a part-time job and I’m not actually doing what I want to do, it showed me how to go into an interview confidently, how to organize my resume to show the strong qualities that I have, and how to make moves. It also motivated me and gave me a reality check of whether this is what I actually want to do. It showed me the dedication that it takes to set yourself up for where you want to be. The Retreat made me realize that sports is only four years of your life, so what are you going to do after and are you prepared?
Feature by Victoria Powell
Victoria is a recent graduate of Baylor University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree with a concentration in emerging media at the University of Georgia. Victoria is on the UGA Women’s Track and Field team and affirms the importance of The Winning Edge’s vision to “increase diversity in sports business.”
