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Inside Hokie Sports
Sansitha Nandakumar
started for the Tech women’s tennis team
this past season and usually played in the No. 5 or 6 spots in the lineup. She graduated
this spring with a degree in economics and plans on attending graduate school next fall
to pursue a master’s in sports management.
Q: Why did you decide to
pursue a degree in economics?
SN:
“I am attracted by financial
and regional economic issues, as I
took economics at my high school.
Majoring in economics at Virginia
Tech has given me skills in scientific
and methodology economics in
a complex environment. As a
sports person, I understand the
socioeconomic problems of all
societies in the world. So economics
gave me the open view of the socioeconomic vision of the society.”
Q: Have you worked any internships? If so, what did you do?
SN:
“I did an internship with HokieVision [the Tech athletics video office] last
summer. I fell in love with the work and enjoyed working every day. HokieVision,
being my first internship, was right on campus, and the experience that I got gave me
a broad view of what I want to do in my future. I also coached tennis last summer. I
received great work experience, and everything was right on campus.”
Q: What did you learn from doing your internship?
SN:
“Being on the Virginia Tech women’s tennis team taught me about leadership,
commitment and teamwork. I was able to implement them into work when I did my
internship. The internship gave me an experience to the outside world. HokieVision
taught me to do Photoshop, live broadcasting and seeing sports through the camera.
I have always been on the other side of the camera, but viewing the sports through
the camera was a completely different experience. I also learned how to use the
equipment.
“Since I am a tennis player, I was able to connect economics, media and sports, and
I understood that I want to pursue a career in sports management, as I will be able to
show the world the economic problems related to sports throughmedia. I also would like
to handle the macro-level problems related to athletes and make a documentary of it.”
Q: What are your plans after graduation this spring?
SN:
“I want to get a master’s in sports management after graduation. So I am going
to be adding some experience by working as a coach for the tennis team next year and
also work at HokieVision, which will make me stay at the school.”
Q: What is your long-term “dream” job?
SN:
“My long-term goal is to become a CEO of a sports management company,
which I want to start on my own and spread the visionary awareness of the day-to-
day life of athletes. I also want to help low-income people get involved into sports
and make society healthier. I also want to connect the socioeconomic problems with
media in sports and make it entertaining.”
2017
SANSITHA
NANDAKUMAR
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Coimbatore, India
by
Jimmy Robertson
