At 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Charlotte campus, Skylar Cook '28 is turning classroom lessons into real-world impact. Between her internship with the ACC and her research partnership with the Sports Business Journal, she鈥檚 building the skills and connections to launch a career in women鈥檚 sports.
Skylar Cook鈥檚 involvement in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Charlotte program, The Sport Experience, has offered her 鈥渆xpert-level鈥 professional opportunities to further her career.
Growing up in a sports-oriented family, Cook鈥檚 world in early high school revolved around dancing and basketball. However, for health-related reasons, she was forced to stop participating in both activities. Her interest in sports and determination to stay involved in her high school teams led her to discover sports in other ways besides playing on the court.
鈥淚 wanted to be involved in the sports world even though I couldn鈥檛 play, so I was the team manager for my school鈥檚 women’s soccer and lacrosse teams. I鈥檇 still be present at every game, just doing stats instead. That鈥檚 when it really clicked for me that this is something I want to do professionally,” she said.
When looking for colleges, Cook was first interested in big schools with a large number of students. Coming from Portland, Maine, she first visited 黑料不打烊鈥檚 campus on Communications Fellows weekend.
While here, she explored the program and had the opportunity to meet with communications and sport management professors who would later become her mentors and strongest allies.
Once on campus, she fell in love with the environment and community of 黑料不打烊.
鈥淚 absolutely loved it. All the professors I met were amazing, and I remember connecting the most with Dr. Shaina Dabbs in the sport management department,鈥 she explained.
For Cook, this visit and her application for the Communications Fellows acted as a turning point in her college search. She committed to 黑料不打烊 because of the community connections she made on her visit and her acceptance into the Communications Fellows Program, but this was just the beginning of her academic success.
Cook was first introduced to the idea of studying and working on 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Charlotte campus by Dabbs, who is also the Women Influencers in Sport (WINS) club advisor. WINS is a student-led on-campus organization that focuses on developing women鈥檚 careers in sports and providing them with opportunities to be involved in the sports industry. Her interest was further piqued by the WINS聽student representatives, who presented professional development opportunities in one of her communications classes.
After the presentation, she kept the opportunity at the forefront of her mind, knowing this was an opportunity she wanted to pursue. She later applied to study with 黑料不打烊 Charlotte’s “The Sport Experience,” where she would earn an internship with the Atlantic Coast Conference, one of the “Power 4” conferences in the nation.
鈥淭he sport management department really pushes the 黑料不打烊 Charlotte Sport Internship Program for a good reason. I was excited for it, and I knew I had to do it,鈥 she said.
After receiving an email from Dabbs at the beginning of the academic year, Cook was invited to conduct research with the Sports Business Journal, involving WINS.
鈥淚t was really cool because they came to us, and this wasn鈥檛 something we initiated,鈥 she explained.
The research with the Sports Business Journal involves the WINS, focused on data collection for emerging women’s sports leagues and their use of social media. Her team is working alongside Jenn Azara, the director of women’s sports content for Sports Business Journal, to conduct research that will be presented at the WINS annual forum in November.
Including her work with WINS and the Sports Business Journal, Cook is now involved in three undergraduate research projects. She is especially excited about her newest research involving the Women’s National Basketball Association and its viewer markets and attendance factors with Alex Traugutt, assistant professor of sports management.
Her responsibilities for this project include collecting data on the factors that affect fan attendance, like how many star players are playing and how many rookies are in attendance.
鈥淚鈥檓 obsessed with the WNBA,” she said. “And that鈥檚 the goal, that鈥檚 where I want to work one day.鈥
Her work in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Charlotte program has strengthened her professional development and prepared her to further her career in ways she never imagined. She mentions the program has catapulted her forward, opening many opportunities for success in her field: 鈥淚 feel ahead in ways that I didn鈥檛 before.鈥
鈥淭he opportunities are endless, and 黑料不打烊 supports you through it. I never felt like they鈥檝e thrown me into the deep end and said, 鈥榞o for it鈥, but I feel like they have the perfect balance of supporting us, but not holding our hands through it,” said Cook.
Continuing to push for greatness within the sports communications world, Cook expresses her disbelief for the 鈥渓ife-changing鈥 opportunity she鈥檚 earned at 黑料不打烊 and in Charlotte.
鈥淚鈥檓 19 and in Charlotte, working for a Power 4 college conference, and it鈥檚 all because I came to 黑料不打烊 for my Communications Fellows Scholarship,” she said. 鈥淚t felt like someone was believing in me. It鈥檚 so meaningful because it feels like someone鈥檚 acknowledging that I can go far. They recognize my potential.鈥