Oct. 23, 2023 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo
Libby Knight, the assistant director of marketing and communications at Carle Illinois College of Medicine, is an RST alumna, graduating in December of 2011 with a M.S. in Sport Management. She answered questions about picking RST, her favorite course and her most memorable on-campus experience.
Q. Why did you pick RST?
A: After graduating with a B.S. in Sport Management and Communications from Indiana State University and having played college soccer at ISU, I wanted to continue my education to better prepare myself for my professional career in sports management, namely collegiate athletics. I chose RST as it aligned with my professional goals and allowed me the opportunity to also complete a graduate assistantship with the Illinois athletics communications department.
Q: Which professors had the most impact on you?
A: While it has been a number of years since I was at AHS, I remember my advisor, Dr. Carla Costa, and the legend himself, Dr. Michael Raycraft, having the most impact on me when I was in school. Dr. Costa was a great advocate and someone who I know would give supportive, constructive criticism, while also pushing me to my best effort. Dr. Raycraft’s classes were always engaging and fun and very educational in a real-world way. I vividly remember his RST 515 “Marketing in RST” class being one of my favorites during my graduate program.
Q: What course did you most enjoy?
A: I think I would say that Dr. Raycraft’s RST 515 “Marketing in RST” class was one of my favorite classes during my time at Illinois. I remember one of our assignments was to attend an event at State Farm Center and look and experience the event through a critical eye. Dr. Raycraft apologized in advance for the result being we would never see an event that we attended the same way again.
Q: Did you enter RST knowing your career path, or did RST help you decide?
A: I entered RST knowing the career path I wanted to pursue, with my experience at Illinois cementing that working in college athletics was something I wanted to do for a living.
Q: Did your RST experience lead to your current job?
A: In a roundabout way, my RST experience did have an impact on my current job. Following my graduate program at Illinois, I worked in the athletics departments at Morehead State, Kennesaw State and finally came back to Illinois to work in the same office I did as a graduate assistant in fall of 2015. I worked in the Illinois Athletics communications department for seven years and loved it. I had so many wonderful opportunities and experiences, including going to the 2018 NCAA national semifinals with the volleyball team and hosting the 2022 NCAA tennis championships as co-communications coordinator. In September 2022, I decided to step away from college athletics for a little more work/life balance in my life and through the skills I learned from my AHS education and the work experience I gained professionally, I was able to move over to the Carle Illinois College of Medicine where I serve as the assistant director of marketing and communications.
Q: What was your favorite on-campus experience?
A: My favorite on-campus experiences were always working or attending Illinois athletics events. It was such an amazing experience to see the behind-the-scenes work of a major athletics department and as a Champaign native, cheering for my hometown team!
Q: What would you say to recommend RST to a prospective student?
A: I would tell prospective students that RST offers an amazing experience to learn about everything there is to offer in recreation, sport and tourism professions. In my experience, the professors were passionate about educating students and providing real-world examples for hands-on learning opportunities. One of the main reasons I chose RST and wanted to work in sports is that sports is fun! There is a time and place to be serious and work through issues or problems, but most people who work in sports do so for the love of the game. Choosing RST allows you to learn about professions in sports (as well as recreation and tourism) and sets you up for success in the future.
Editor’s note:
To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.
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