Recreation, Sport and Tourism 2022 Student Awards and Scholarships

Emily Jordan

Emily will complete her degree with a focus on sport management in August and hopes to become an athletic director. She recently helped to plan an event for the Young Olympians program at the Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club in Champaign. Emily was the first female announcer for the National Junior College Athletic Association men's Division II basketball tournament. A Dean's List honoree, she has also volunteered with youth volleyball and basketball camps.

Charlie Ezgur

Charlie graduates in May with a focus on sport management and will pursue a career in digital coaching. He has secured an internship with a startup company called CoachHub. Last summer, he conducted research on trends in the leisure and hospitality sector of the retail industry as a research intern for ShopCore Properties. A Dean's List honoree, he also wrote articles about transgender youth to inspire acceptance as a marketing intern with GenderCool Project.

Emily Jordan

Emily will complete her degree with a focus on sport management in August and hopes to become an athletic director. She recently helped to plan an event for the Young Olympians program at the Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club in Champaign. Emily was the first female announcer for the National Junior College Athletic Association men's Division II basketball tournament. A Dean's List honoree, she has also volunteered with youth volleyball and basketball camps.

Grace Lamoureaux

Grace will complete her degree with a focus on sport management next year. She hopes to go into marketing with a professional sports organization. Grace has served as a student recruiting assistant with the Fighting Illini football team and worked as a facilities assistant with Campus Recreation. A Dean's List honoree, Grace is the risk manager for Kappa Alpha Theta and a member of the Sports Business Association, and serves on the RST Student Advisory Council.

Eddie Burras

Eddie graduates in August with a degree focused on sport management. He hopes to work in the marketing department of a professional or collegiate sports organization. Eddie helps with promotional events as a member of the Fighting Illini Marketing Street Team and assisted the event management team of the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics with planning and executing the women's gymnastics regional. He is a Dean's List honoree and President's Award Scholar.

Fredy Quevedo, Jr.

After completing his degree with a focus on sport management in August, Fredy plans to become a sports agent. He served as a teaching assistant for a course on diversity in recreation, sport and tourism, and was a research assistant on a study of the Urbana Park District's diversity programs. Fredy was a member of the 2021 Homecoming Court and a student speaker at the Office of Minority Student Affairs' Mom's Day Scholastic Awards Ceremony.

Grace Kendzior

Grace will graduate next year with degrees in psychology and social work. She plans to pursue a master's degree in social work and a career in counseling, with a focus on children and adolescents. She is a member of the Child Development Lab and a former research assistant in the Learning and Language Lab. She works with Campus Recreation as a facility assistant for both the Activities and Recreation Center and Campus Recreation Center East.

Hayley Hardin

Hayley will begin studies toward a master's degree in Recreation, Sport and Tourism after completing her undergraduate degree in August. She hopes to assume a full-time position with the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA). She currently is a student ambassador for event management in the DIA, and also volunteers with local youth athletic programs, as well as the Edgar County 4-H Fair and the Red Cross. She is a member of the Sports Business Association.

Edgar May

Edgar will complete his degree with a focus on sport management next year and hopes to work in community relations with a professional sports organization. He volunteered with the Chicago Park District's Midnight Circus in the Parks program and helped to create a website for the Beth Shalom synagogue on the south side of Chicago as an intern with Microsoft and Mind+Hand. A Dean's List honoree, Edgar joined the Fighting Illini marketing street team last fall.

Alexandra Breaux

After completing her degree next year with a focus on sport management, Alexandra plans to attend law school and pursue a career as a sports agent. She collected eyeglasses for visually impaired individuals and raised money for Service for Sight, serves as a peer mentor to other students in RST, and has completed an internship with Oakwood Media in Chicago. A Dean's List honoree and James Scholar, she served on the Honor Board of Delta Gamma.

Isabella Clifford

After completing her degree next year with a focus on recreation management, Isabella hopes to work with a park district in the Chicago area as a programming or events manager. She is a facilities and member services assistant with Campus Recreation and has worked as a recreation leader with the Chicago Park District. A Dean's List honoree and James Scholar, Isabella will complete an internship with Maggie Daley Park in Chicago this summer.

Victoria Kopko

Victoria will complete her degree with a focus on tourism management in 2024. She plans to attend law school and pursue a career in entertainment law. As an active volunteer with Amnesty International's campus chapter, she has assisted with human rights campaigns such as Write for Rights and is currently involved with a project related to the murders and disappearances of indigenous women. Victoria is a Dean's List honoree.

Madeleine Larson

Madeleine plans to work in the sports industry after completing her degree with a focus on sport management in 2025. She has interned with the Chicago Bandits, a professional softball team, and Fighting Illini athletics, for which she takes on responsibilities with the baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's gymnastics, and women's softball teams. A James Scholar, Madeleine also assists with media relations as an intern with the Big Ten Network.

Malakhi Hubbard-Munir

After completing his degree with a focus on sport management in 2023, Malakhi hopes to go into sports media and to start a clothing line that symbolizes a successful, joyous lifestyle. He worked as a student coordinator for University Housing's dining halls, supervising and organizing student workers and maintaining the facilities. A Dean's List honoree, Malakhi was named an Illinois State Scholar in 2019.

Aniyha Jones

Aniyha will complete her degree with a focus on sport management next year. She plans to develop a top sports podcast and network. She currently hosts the podcast "You're Wrong, Sir," which features in-depth analysis of the business, culture, and politics of sport. A Dean's List honoree and President's Award Scholar, Aniyha works with the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics and completed an internship as a marketing advisor with Grady Sports Agency.

Todd Marshall

After completing his degree with a focus on sport management in 2024, Todd hopes to find a position with a sports team that allows him to travel overseas and experience sports in other countries. He is a student ambassador with the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics' event management team, working behind the scenes for a variety of athletic events. Todd has received the Champaign-Urbana Kiwanis Club's Outstanding Leadership Award.

Shaan Pal

Shaan will complete his degree with a focus on sport management next year. He hopes to go into a personnel or player development position with a sports organization. He has been a summer camp counselor, Kids Academy team member, and sports coach with the athletic resort Life Time in Burr Ridge, Illinois. Shaan is active in the Illinois Consulting Group, Financial Planning Club, and Sports Business Association.

Hsiang (Sean) Chang

Sean will complete his degree with a focus on sport management next year. His career goal is to combine sport management and computer science to develop sports-related products that benefit society. He already has developed an app for the pickup basketball community called Courtero, which helps players find available courts, match with comparably skilled players, and compare their skills with the larger community. Sean is a member of Harvard Innovation Labs.

Hsiang (Sean) Chang

Sean will complete his degree with a focus on sport management next year. His career goal is to combine sport management and computer science to develop sports-related products that benefit society. He already has developed an app for the pickup basketball community called Courtero, which helps players find available courts, match with comparably skilled players, and compare their skills with the larger community. Sean is a member of Harvard Innovation Labs.

Evan Lang

After completing his degree with a focus on sport management in December, Even hopes to pursue a career in sports marketing. He worked with a team that planned the College of Media's 100th anniversary celebration and serves as the director of social media for the men's soccer team. A Dean's List honoree, Evan has been a seasonal assistant manager with the Brookdale Racquet Club for almost six years and is active with the Good Athlete Project.

Wonjin Jeong

Wonjin plans to pursue a career in academia after completing her Ph.D. next year. Her research investigates the sociocultural meaning of leisure experiences in urban communities and its impact on community health. With her mentor, Dr. William Stewart, she has examined how leisure behavior that beautified and repurposed vacant lots revitalized Chicago neighborhoods. Wonjin has taught a landscape architecture course on nature and American culture.

Jazmin Pazmino

After completing her Ph.D. next year, Jazmin will pursue her research interests and passion for teaching as a faculty member in higher education. Her research examines issues related to gender, empowerment, and Latina women's participation in recreational sports. She is mentored by Dr. Monika Stodolska and is an instructor for RST 230 Diversity in Recreation, Sport and Tourism, an online class that enrolls more than 400 students each semester.

Jake Simms

Jake will complete his Ph.D. in 2024. A former middle school teacher and coach, he plans a future career in higher education. Mentored by Dr. Jon Welty Peachey, Jake examines leadership in sport and how sport can be used as a tool for development. He is the program coordinator for Young Olympians, a collaboration between RST and the Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club. He recently spoke about the program at the Applied Sport Management Conference.

Samuel Tinaglia, Jr.

Sam is mentored by graduate student services advisor Tim Tiger in the online master's degree program, which he'll complete in August. Sam has worked for Fighting Illini Productions as a video board operator and was a marketing and promotions street team member for the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. He completed internships with the Schaumburg Boomers Frontier League baseball team and the Niles Park District.

Hwayong Son

Hwayong will pursue an academic career after completing her Ph.D. in August. Mentored by Dr. Liza Berdychevsky, she investigates factors associated with health disparities and inequities experienced by socially vulnerable youth and positive youth development. Hwayong has worked with community-based recreation programs for socially vulnerable youth in Chicago. She presented her research at the 2020 conference of The Academy of Leisure Sciences.