My Emerging Media Journey

Exploring growth, creativity, and connection in a digital age.

Where It All Began: Sports, Creativity, and a New Direction

Before I enrolled into the Emerging Media program, my world was rooted in sports. Growing up, I played basketball my entire life. It shaped how I viewed teamwork, passion, and creativity. That love for the game led me to major in Sport Administration at Georgia State University, where I explored different corners of the sports industry through internships in recruitment, media, marketing, and more.

On the side, I stayed creative. I started making sneaker review videos on Youtube and created highlight reels for basketball players, which blended my love for storytelling, design, and sports without even realizing it at the time.

Youtube Banner for Solemates channel

Recent/Popular videos I’ve uploaded

After graduating, I continued my journey into the sports technology space, working behind the scenes on major media events such as NBA on TNTOT and March Madness Live. Even with all these experiences, I knew I wanted to do more — to create more — but I wasn’t sure where to start.

Candace Parker and I at work on the set of Inside the NBA TNT

Four years after finishing my undergraduate degree, I decided to bet on myself again. I returned to school, this time stepping into the world of emerging media with one clear goal: To weave storytelling, design, and technology into the fabric of sports. That decision is what brought me here to this program and it turned out to be one of the most rewarding decisions of my life.

Growth in Progress: Learning, Falling, and Finding My Voice

I entered this program with a MINIMAL background in design, coding, or development — so the impostor syndrome hit hard from the start. I was excited to learn, but once classes began, it became clear that many of my classmates were already pretty advanced in these areas. Still, they were incredibly supportive, and I was fortunate to learn from them, from my professors, and from the constant encouragement of my girlfriend, who reminded me that I am quick to pick things up.

I will never forget my first Figma prototype, where I attempted to redesign the SNKRS app. Figma felt completely foreign to me. I was overwhelmed and discouraged, and I had completely shut down. But my girlfriend helped me reframe it: “Think inside your element,” she said. Shoes were what I knew, what I loved, and what I could confidently build around. From that moment forward, I approached every project with my passions at the center and that changed everything.

SNKRS app redesign

Classes like Media Design and Aesthetics, New Media Design, Project Management and Innovation, and Digital Media Storytelling were my bread and butter. Each one helped me unlock a new piece of the creative puzzle. Media Design and Aesthetics taught me to turn my ideas into visual narratives for the users’ best interest. Project Management and Innovation taught me how to plan strategically and collaborate with teams to stay adaptable. Digital Media Storytelling reminded me how important compelling narratives are to connect, inspire, and move people. Together, these courses and many others helped me grow from someone unsure of where to start into someone with the confidence and tools to build and lead creative work.

247Sports Redesign

Advanced Web Development and Native App Development pushed me outside my comfort zone.

Web development projects

App Development Project

I struggled through almost every project, but those challenges ended up bringing everything full circle.

Back in undergrad, while working as a Footwear Specialist at Dick’s Sporting Goods, I became obssessed with how shoes affect different foot types and surprised by how little most people knew about it. I always dreamed of creating an app to help people find the right sneakers for their feet. In Fall 2024, I made it happen for my Native App final. It wasn’t easy, and it had a lot more work cut out for it, but I was proud to bring that idea to life.

SNEAKERVUE display

Turning Passion Into Purpose: Unranked to RecruitHER

As I mentioned before, sports have always been at the center of my life — whether I was playing, watching, or working behind the scenes, it has been part of my identity. In 2021, I launched Unranked, a passion project focused on spotlighting under-the-radar athletes. That idea was deeply rooted in my own experience, both as an intern scouting high school and college players, and as someone who witnessed the clear disparities in exposure between boys’ and girls’ recruitment.

UNRANKED logo

As we started our Capstone groups, I was able to share my passion to the team and from that point on, we created RecruitHER, a platform dedicated to helping female high school athletes get the visibility they deserve. Working on RecruitHER felt like everything I’d learned in this program fully came together: design, UX, storytelling, strategy, development, and most of all: purpose. It challenged me to think big and stay rooted in the “why” behind my work. RecruitHER has done wonders for us all in our paths. It was more than just a class project, it became a career-defining experience for us all.

RecruitHER logo

One Year. Countless Lessons.

This program challenged me, inspired me, and ultimately changed the way I see myself as a creator. I didn’t come in with a design or development background, but I came in with passion, and that became my greatest asset. Every class, project, and late-night brainstorm taught me how to turn ideas into impact. I have learned to lead with curiosity and embrace the uncomfortable parts of the process, and to use my unique experiences to tell stories that matter.

What started as uncertainty has grown into clarity. This program gave me a creative toolkit I can carry into whatever comes next. This work represents more than just assignments. It is a reflection of my growth, my voice, and the future I’m building.