During my childhood, sports were always on the TV in my house, and over time I fell in love with the process of studying sports and athletes. During my first year at the University of California, Riverside, I wanted to work in sports and I found myself writing sports articles with The Highlander.
What I wasn’t expecting was getting the opportunity to cover popular events for The Highlander. I never would have imagined covering NBA and WNBA games or getting to interview athletes at the highest level of competition.
My experience covering sports, particularly basketball at UCR, has allowed me to develop meaningful relationships with those who work in it. Basketball coaches Mike Magpayo and Gus Argenal have taught me lots of things that go on behind the scenes to support a basketball team and university. In addition, former UCR Athletics Director Wes Mallette has been a huge mentor to my work in sports media at UCR, and I’m extremely grateful for all the people who helped me through UCR Athletics.
With graduation looming, I plan to attend a graduate program in sport management, hoping to make working in sports my full time career. Colleagues including Isaac Solnick, Hansel Chu and many others at The Highlander have inspired me to pursue a career in sports while instilling strong values in my work in media.
A moment that I’ll never forget during my time with The Highlander is getting a phone call from Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and sports broadcaster, Mike Breen.
How did that happen you ask?
The Highlander took many of its staff members to a conference in New York in 2025 where I got to present my work in sports media to a panelist. He was impressed and referred me to Mike Breen. Breen gave me a phone call three months later when I was least expecting it.
Our phone call lasted exactly 23 minutes … 23 minutes I’ll never forget. That phone call illustrates my experience at The Highlander because I never thought I’d work in sports media entering college. If someone told me back in 2023 I’d get a phone call from the greatest sports broadcaster of all time, I would not be able to comprehend that message.
I’m not sure where sports will take my career, but I hope to gain new opportunities to work in the sports business industry. For now, I’m focusing on ending my undergraduate career with a Bang.
