L to R: Mark McIntosh of the Irv Bround Endowment fund; scholarship winners Rene Dominguez and Sofia Nazarenus; Jim Epstein, executive director of Write on Sports. Photo: Andrew Schlichting
When Sofia Nazarenus transferred to Metropolitan State University of Denver, she discovered what she’d been missing in her previous institution: opportunity, support and engagement.
“I really found my place,” the Sport Management senior said. “I’ve met some of my best friends here and love what we learn in class – not to mention all the opportunities.”
That now includes being an inaugural recipient of the Irv Brown Memorial Scholarship, established to help the next generation of sport and media professionals successfully kick off their careers.
“As the first person in my family to go to college, it means so much to see all the hard work pay off – this scholarship really means a lot,” Nazarenus said. Photo: Alyson McClaran
On Oct. 31, the CAVEA Theater played host to the first Irv Brown Sport Management Conference, honoring its namesake’s legacy as a six-time NCAA Finals referee and storied broadcaster – not to mention MSU Denver’s first baseball coach.
The max-capacity event afforded current Roadrunner students the chance to connect via breakout sessions with professionals from the Denver sports and media landscape, including representatives from the Broncos, Avalanche and CBS4 Sports.
Roadrunner alum Brad Birling shared his story of navigating the road from the Auraria Campus to the Indianapolis based USA Track and Field Team, while MSU Denver faculty member Anna Mills detailed strategic social-media storytelling with the Denver Nuggets while at Kroenke Sports & Entertainment.
Scholarship awardee Rene Dominguez arrived at MSU Denver from Kremmling, Colorado with aspirations of becoming an athletic director. But after connecting with faculty and professionals in the field, the Sport Management major now is refocused on building a career in marketing and social media management.
“It’s an honor just to have my name associated with someone like Mr. Brown … I hope it can be an example for small-town kids like me that you can succeed in a city like Denver,” Dominguez said. Photo: Alyson McClaran
The event came together after the Irv Brown Foundation reached out to launch the scholarship and event as part of a partnership with MSU Denver, said Colleen Colles, professor of Sport Management and coordinator of the conference. She lauded the all-star lineup of presenters and thanked supporting organizations such as Write On Sports and Visit Denver who made the event possible.
Colles plans to build on the conference’s success and hopes to continue its growth for next year.
“It was a fantastic event that really helped instill in students the importance of building that career pipeline,” she said. “That’s a win-win for everyone involved.”
Support the Irv Brown Memorial Fund here.
L to R: Katherine Pottinger, Event Coordinator for Copper Mountain; Brad Birling, Manager of International Teams and Logistics at USA Track & Field; Preston Askew, Inside Sales Rep, Colorado Avs and Mammoth speak as part of an alumni panel at the inaugural Irv Brown Sport Conference at MSU Denver on Oct. 31. Photo: Andrew Schlichting