Kierra McFadden is currently working towards her Master’s degree at Southern Nazarene University in the field of Sports Management. McFadden said the degree will help her move forward with her goal to work in the sports industry. 

“I am looking forward to branching out from education and exploring different sports related fields,” McFadden said.

McFadden said that SNU being a place that she was familiar with was a major reason why she chose the school.

“I chose SNU as I was familiar with the university. I grew up in Bethany and attended Bethany High School as well as several events on SNUs campus,” McFadden said. 

The Sports Management program involves multiple skills that are useful in multiple careers in the sports industry according to McFadden. Skills like communicating, budgeting, leading departments involving sporting events.

“Individuals who are interested in sports management need to enjoy sports, public relations, and community engagement.  Oftentimes, sport management majors become athletic directors or coaches. Sometimes they become Director of Operations,” McFadden said.

While the degree may sound geared toward someone with a Physical Education degree or something along those lines, Sports Management and all that it entails is actually a fairly big jump from the other degrees McFadden has earned.

“I completed my undergrad in Chemistry with an associate’s degree in Psychology. I am kind of a nerd when it comes to school. I enjoy all different fields,” McFadden said.  “I played softball all the way through college. When I graduated with my bachelors, I discovered I missed being around sports and had too much time on my hands, so I began coaching which led me to getting masters in Sports Management.”

McFadden said another thing she enjoys about SNU is the religious aspect of the Southern Nazarene University.

“I enjoy the Christian aspect involved in the education. Everyone is always very helpful. I am a full-time teacher for Epic Charter Schools so being able to develop a relationship with my professors was very important to me,” McFadden said.