Baker Proud Spring 2017 - 20

Baker in the Big Leagues
Former athletes jump from field to front office
For many athletes, landing a spot on the roster of a professional team is the ultimate dream. However, the dream of
making it in professional sports isn't just for athletes. Jobs within professional sports organizations are highly sought
after and limited in number. And with Baker's longstanding history of preparing students to hurdle any obstacle and
tackle any issue, would it surprise you that these Wildcats are excelling in pro sports jobs? We didn't think so.

Tera Lyons, '14, former Wildcat cross country and

track team member, is a year and a half into her tenure
working at one of sports' most legendary venues. As
digital content coordinator for the Daytona International
Speedway, Lyons puts to work the skills she learned
pursuing a mass media degree by managing the Speedway
website and social media accounts including Twitter,
Facebook, Instagram, and the recently launched Snapchat.
Before moving
to
Daytona,
Lyons
"Baker is really great at
worked as a phogetting you started early
tography intern
and giving you real-world for the Kansas
experiences that translate City Chiefs, a
web production
into a career."
assistant for the
Atlanta Falcons,
and a web content and development contractor for [sports
and entertainment company] AMB Group-all positions
that were set up by her Baker experience.
"I've always had a love for sports, but going into
college I wasn't sure how to make that into a career. It
wasn't until I started my courses in the mass media department and started working as a photographer for the
Baker Orange that I realized how much I loved being on

the sidelines of football games. From then on, I always
dreamed of working in the NFL. What you don't realize
is how small the sports industry is until you're in it. It's
all interconnected and before working at Daytona International Speedway, I would never have pictured myself
working around motorsports.
"Baker is really great at getting you started early and
giving you real-world experiences that translate into a
career. I started working on the Baker Orange my freshman
year and by my sophomore year, I was an editor. I was
able to create a portfolio of my work while working on the
newspaper that caught the attention of the photographer
of the Chiefs and had writing, graphic, and website design
samples that I've used to apply for jobs throughout my career. I also gained valuable leadership experience through
Greek life, clubs, and athletics that developed me into
the person I am today. I also studied abroad at Harlaxton
[College in England] and that opened my eyes to the world
and gave me the confidence and independence to take
advantage of opportunities wherever they may be. Baker
University gave me all the building blocks I needed to get
my career started.
"I've been incredibly lucky to find a position that I can
grow into at Daytona International Speedway. I can see
myself continuing to work in the motorsports industry,
working my way up the ladder. I wouldn't put moving

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baker Proud Spring 2017