Her Story
About Ally
I currently serve as the Event Management Coordinator at the University of Arkansas, where I oversee women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, football, and gymnastics. Every day looks a little different depending on the season I'm in. Right now, I'm nearing the end of men's and women's tennis, so this week I've honestly just been getting ready for senior day and doing some facility cleanups while also balancing spring soccer. A lot of the day-to-day is just a lot of meetings with other departments that I work with. I started in this field in 2022 and graduated with my undergrad degree in 2023 with a major in sports management and finance. I then got my master's degree and GA'd at the university where I did game day operations for about a year and a half. After graduating, I got my first job at the University of Georgia where I did event and facility operations, which is basically the same thing as game day operations, just with the added facilities part. I was there for about a year and then started here at the University of Arkansas back in September. During my undergrad, I had some amazing opportunities through the sports management program, including working Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas where we got to escort old NFL Hall of Famers around their suites and to press conferences, and we also got to be a part of the post-game after-party for the winning team. It was something I would never think I would have the chance to do.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ally
01What do you attribute your success to?
Growing up in sports, it was always interesting to see the operation side of things because when you're an athlete and stuff, you don't really think about what all goes on to make your sporting event happen. When I kind of started to learn about it, I was like, oh, this is interesting, I like sports, I enjoy being around them, so it would be cool to see a different side of things. One thing I learned early on is you definitely have to love what you do to be in it. It's not really a job, it's something you love to do, it's your passion.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is just getting out and experiencing new things, because you never know what can come your way. You just never know who's out there watching or what can happen.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say just establishing connections, and if there is an opportunity for a networking event or to go volunteer somewhere, take that. If you can do it, just go do it, because you never know what you can get out of it. You never know who's out there watching or what can happen. It's crazy what comes your way when you're able to network and have that recognition and visibility.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Honestly, the biggest challenge is just the amount of hours we work. It's not a typical Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. Sometimes it's 6 days a week, sometimes it's 7 days a week, you're working 80-hour weeks, but that's just part of it. It's crazy, especially when we host SEC events or NCAA championships, it's very chaotic. But it's worth it. It's such a good experience. You kind of think, like, oh, this is some people's dreams to come to this game, but this is a reality for me.
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