Sport Management Student at Cal State Long Beach Recieves 2005 NCAA Ethnic Minority Postgraduate Scholarship

Brezya Rhodes, a student in the Graduate Program in Sport Management at Cal State Long Beach, has been selected as a recipient of a 2005 NCAA Ethnic Minority Postgraduate Scholarship.

Rhodes, a member of Learning Team 8, which began its 18-month program in February, will receive $6,000 to cover the cost of the program.

“I am so blessed and delighted to be one of few recipients of the 2005 NCAA Ethnic Minority Postgraduate Scholarships,” said Rhodes, who played basketball at Cal State Northridge and is currently the marketing and promotions coordinator for its athletic program. “The NCAA needs to know that they have made a great investment in a student who is looking forward to taking full advantage of the opportunities the Cal State Long Beach Graduate Program in Sport Management has to offer.”

Rhodes, who graduated from CSUN with a degree in business administration/marketing in
June 2004, had no interest in returning to school. A stint working in community relations with the Los Angeles Sparks changed that. A number of individuals in the Spark’s administration had taken the program at CSULB and encouraged her to do so.

“They all talked so highly of it that it made me want to enter the program,” she said.

“Brezya is a fine example of the motivated students we matriculate in our program,” said Chris Tsangaris, managing director of the program. “Our student body is comprised (of individuals) from many diverse backgrounds, each with their own area of interest with the spectrum of career opportunities that our industry provides.”

In the short period of time Rhodes has been in the program, she noted that the possibilities she has been exposed to have been numerous.

“There are an endless number of career paths in athletics that can be taken. With the knowledge I am currently obtaining, I have no doubt that I will be armed with the necessary principals and practices of managing sport, and I will be able to differentiate myself from the competition,” she said. “I am truly grateful for this wonderful opportunity and sincerely appreciate the NCAA’s support of my graduate education here at CSULB."

The CSULB Graduate Program in Sport Management, an accelerated 18 month program, is designed to prepare individuals for careers in sports / athletics administration and management in a variety of settings, including professional, amateur, fitness, college and scholastic organizations, private businesses, community services as well as in academic institutions.

The goal of the NCAA Ethnic Minority Postgraduate Program scholarships is to increase the pool of and opportunities for qualified ethnic minorities in intercollegiate athletics. Recipients are ethnic minorities who have completed an undergraduate degree and have been accepted or are seeking admission to an NCAA member institution's sports administration or a related program and intend to pursue a career in athletics.

Media Contacts:
Shayne Schroeder, 562/985-1727, schroede@csulb.edu
Rick Gloady, 562/985-5454, rgloady@csulb.edu