Graduation profile: Steven Strand

Steven Strand, 23, will receive his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in sports marketing when he graduates June 14 from the University of Oregon. He is from Portland. “Having the opportunity to learn from a collection of industry mavens in an experiential setting at Nike Inc. and IMG was exactly what I had dreamed of, in terms of an ideal education in the sports marketing industry,” says Strand, who served summer internships at the two companies between his sophomore/junior and junior/senior years.
 
Academic accomplishments:
Thomas Wrightson Scholarship recipient.
 
Extracurricular/leadership activity:
Two years as marketing manager and one year as tournament director for the Warsaw Classic and led the repositioning of the event to the KIDSPORTS Invitational Powered by the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center. Served two years as vice president on the executive leadership team for the Warsaw Sports Business Club at the Lundquist College of Business. Served one year as delegate on LCB Council for Interclub Collaboration. Elected to one-year appointment as representative on the Dean’s Undergraduate Student Advisory Council.
 
Attending and graduating college is significant to my family because … as the youngest grandchild and final to graduate college, I‘m the first to attend and earn a degree from the University of Oregon.
 
The reason I chose the University of Oregon for my education is … due in large part to the depth and expertise of the teaching faculty at the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center. The reputation of the center, accompanied by the family-like network of industry professionals affiliated with it, influenced my decision to join the family.
 
The most rewarding experience/challenge I’ve had while earning my degree was … the success of the Warsaw Classic 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, followed by its repositioning to the KIDSPORTS Invitational under my leadership as tournament director. Having the opportunity to work with 40 to 50 of the most engaged students in the sports marketing program, and build lasting friendships with those who volunteered each year to bring the event to fruition, was truly awesome.
 
While pursuing my degree I was most inspired by … the bi-weekly speakers that presented industry insights at our Warsaw Sports Business Club meetings. The array of professionals that ranged from VPs at Nike to chief officers of teams and agency representatives, continued to impress me and inspire my passion for the industry.
 
My UO degree is valuable because … with it comes acceptance and validation into an industry that is highly selective and arguably very difficult to break into. The best way to describe a degree from the LCB at UO with a concentration from the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center is to say that it is the ticket into an industry family.
 
After graduation, I plan to use my degree from the UO to … head to New York and pursue a career in sponsorship consulting at a leading sports marketing agency. Additionally, I plan to use it to support my eventual goal of attending a prestigious MBA program. Lastly, to hang it on the wall of my office in a frame.