Part of the reason the sports management program at IU Indianapolis can set students up for success is the connections the faculty have in a sports-rich environment like Indianapolis.
Darren Stillson, a 2016 graduate of the program, knows the benefits of those connections perhaps better than anyone. He used them to get an internship with the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) and spent six years with them as the foundation director before moving to a new position in 2022.
Stillson currently serves as the Partnership Services Manager with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the NFHS Network in Indianapolis.
“The IU Indianapolis sports management program prepared me tremendously for starting my career by putting me in the right place and giving me the correct connections that allowed me to start a career in sports,” Stillson said. “Without the sports management program, I would have never landed an internship with the IHSAA during my senior year.”
“I think the coolest part of my job would be that I am able to work for a sports organization that has been around since 1903 that has decades and decades of history, but with my main role as the foundation assistant director, it’s brand new,” Stillson said.
Stillson looks back on his IU Indianapolis education fondly.
“During my time at IU Indianapolis, I got to experience working with the Indiana Pacers, Indy Fuel, and the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon among a few other organizations all before graduation,” Stillson said. “Those are experiences that you are unable to find anywhere else when preparing for your future career in sports.”
#Indy4Sports #WeAreSHHS
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