Hokie Feature: Class of 2022 Graduate Assistants
Our new Rec Sports graduate assistants are roughly two months into their two-year assistantships.
This 4-part #HokieFeature highlights just how special they are to us. Each GA’s hard work and dedication to our staff has been invaluable, and their adaptability during the COVID-19 era has been unparalleled.
Delaney Hogg - Marketing & Social Media Graduate Assistant
Alex Bruman - Intramural Sports Graduate Assistant
Laura Naccarato - Intramural Sports Graduate Assistant
Courtney Chapman - Fitness Graduate Assistant
Stories written by Emily Dages, Rec Sports' Marketing Supervisor
Delaney Hogg - Marketing & Social Media Graduate Assistant
BECOMING A GRADUATE ASSISTANT
“I started to think about where I wanted to go and what my next step was, the type of role I wanted after grad school wasn’t something I could take on right after undergrad. This is more of a time of gaining experience, gaining knowledge, new perspectives, new networking opportunities, and hopefully by the time I graduate I’ll be ready for a job.”
Marketing & Social Media Graduate Assistant Delaney Hogg reflects on what she wanted going into and coming out of a graduate assistantship. Taking what she learned from her time and experience at ECU, Hogg shares a piece of advice regarding her decision-making process and why she chose Virginia Tech.
“You have to look at what your strengths already are. If I were to go to a school where they didn’t have as established of a team, that would be my focus as opposed to growing it. It’s one thing to take one thing that’s good and make it great. It’s another thing to have to start it from nothing and make something. You have to look at where you want your time to be allocated and what’s going to help you grow the most as a professional. I’ve already been through some of that growing time; I’m ready for the growing that happens not necessarily from the bottom up.”
Having known her current boss, Will Trent, prior to beginning the program, Hogg knew how she would mesh with the Rec Sports environment.
“I knew [Will’s] expectations and how good he was at his job already, which made it a lot easier to know how I would fit in with him. He’s a millennial and someone younger for this role, and so that does make a difference because you want to be able to get along with someone and have those generational understandings of who you are marketing to; he is very current and up to date with his marketing efforts.”
Hogg was able to find some solace in this time of uncertainty.
“This [graduate assistantship] has been that light at the end of the tunnel. Even if the world isn’t necessarily starting back over again and back to a sense of normalcy, this is the one thing that I’ve had to look forward to and it’s here and still happening and life still goes on. We might still be in the middle of a pandemic and it might still be difficult to adapt to a new time in life, but I’ve got a lot of new things going on and am back to a routine which really is something that keeps me going.”
SINCE BEING AT VIRGINIA TECH
“I can already tell that there is a strong sense of family and community here, and despite what is going on in the world, I am really excited to be a part of it. I remember my first visit here after I got my offer in early December; Will was going to walk me around campus. I was wearing business flats because I wasn’t sure what to wear, and Ali Cross, Director of Recreational Sports, offered me her shoes. That was one of the first times that I was like ‘That was really nice, I can’t believe someone would actually offer me the shoes off of their feet to make sure I was comfortable.’ I feel very welcomed and appreciated already, which makes me really excited for what the future holds, and I’m hoping I can embrace that sense of family and provide that for my students too.”
Roughly two months in, Hogg is already experiencing what sets Rec Sports apart: the people. Taking that with stride, she is also able to be that bridge between student staff and pro staff.
“Being that middle-man between our boss and our students, I’m able to have fun with the students and bounce ideas off of them while still being able to give input on both the administrative side and the student side, which feels very valuable in this role.”
Hogg also has the opportunity to interact and collaborate with the other Rec Sports graduate assistants.
“We might all be in different programs and coming from different states, but being new and in this new journey and new phase of life together has made us closer and a bit more reliant on each other; we’re all figuring it out as we go along, and it’s nice to have people in the same boat as you.”
THE #HOKIEMOVEMENT
“Being a part of the Hokie Movement while also marketing it every day has made me more aware of what I need in my personal life. It’s really awesome to be a part of a workplace environment that supports that. I’ve been told that if I need to go workout and then come to a shift after, then I can do that. It’s motivated me more to move my body and love my body when that wasn’t always a priority for me. I’ve really been working on developing healthy habits since I moved here, and I’ve felt constantly supported in this role to continue to do that.”
Alex Bruman - Intramural Sports Graduate Assistant
UNDERGRADUATE INFLUENCE
“My main [criteria] for coming into a program like this was to choose a program that can be used in many different careers. My thought was that if something were to happen in these next two years where I don’t want to do campus rec, then I could apply [Leadership Studies] in the engineering field.”
Intramural Sports Graduate Assistant Alex Bruman was heavily influenced by his experiences within intramural sports and employment throughout his undergraduate career.
“[Undergrad] highly influenced my decision to pursue a graduate assistantship, specifically with Virginia Tech. During the [intramural] tournaments I attended, I got really close with the people participating in and working for Virginia Tech.. That’s when I realized that I wanted to pursue the position.”
SINCE BEING AT VIRGINIA TECH
Adjusting to a new environment is never easy, but Bruman has certainly found his footing.
“It’s just been an adjustment period of figuring out how things are different than at Rowan University, how things run, how people work together, and how different departments work. Other than that, it’s been pretty nice and the people are amazing; they have been the best part.”
“[Another great part of being here is] being able to have intramurals during this time because I know of so many schools that cannot have in-person intramurals right now. Outside of that, I would say [my favorite part is] the ability to freely express my own thoughts and ideas and have two pro staff that are willing to back me up and help me out with them.”
Outside of having a supportive pro staff team, Bruman and fellow Intramural Graduate Assistant Laura Naccarato coincide effectively with each other.
“Laura and I work really well together because she has one mindset, and I have the other half of that mindset that we need. Being able to put those together works perfectly for what we need for intramurals. The dynamic [between all of us] is amazing. We’ve done a lot of different activities together outside of work to be able to make more of a team bond of graduate assistants; I love it.”
KEY TAKEAWAYS AND THE FUTURE
“Getting new skills of being able to lead a team of student staff members and being able to work with them to accomplish their needs while also accomplishing the needs of the department [is what I hope to take away from the assistantship]. I want to learn those skills and take them wherever I go, because I know that I will be able to use them no matter if I am in campus rec or out.”
Knowing what he wants to do after graduation, Bruman confidently looks to the future.
“I see myself working as a professional intramural staff somewhere. I don’t really care where it is, the location doesn’t matter. What matters is that I am able to work as an intramural professional somewhere. That’s my goal after I graduate.”
THE #HOKIEMOVEMENT
“I love the saying and the whole idea behind [the Hokie Movement]. It embodies two different things: being able to move around and move forward. How I embody it is by participating in those intramurals. We’re able to have that in person activity that people might be missing right now, and we’re doing it as safely as we possibly can, and that’s perfect for me.”
Laura Naccarato - Intramural Sports Graduate Assistant
REC SPORTS ATMOSPHERE
“I love the Rec Sports department. The people here make it great; they all have your back, which I really appreciate. Even the higher-ups are nice; Will is awesome, Ali is great, they’re all nice. Instead of there being that division between student staff and the higher-ups, it’s more so we are a team. And that team mentality is something you really need when dealing with Rec Sports because anything can change, especially this year. It’s nice to be able to rely on your team that way.”
Intramural Sports Graduate Assistant Laura Naccarato values the cohesion that Rec Sports emits. Having worked for intramural sports throughout her undergraduate experience at Virginia Tech, Naccarato reflects on her time with supervisors Jeff Feldhaus and Clark Stridsberg.
“[Clark and Jeff] are great people, I love working for them. Clark is one of the nicest people ever. He goes out of his way to learn people’s names, which I think is really awesome. Jeff and I really bond over how we clean stuff. We both have a certain way we load a dishwasher and we like to discuss it. I’ve worked with Jeff for the past four years and it’s just been a blast.”
BECOMING A GRADUATE ASSISTANT
“What I like about [being a GA] is not only are you interacting with supervisors and participants, but you also get to see the other side of things and how the Rec Sports office is operating, which I think is really fascinating.”
Having a great support system, Naccarato has been able to smoothly manage work and school.
“I’ve developed good time management, so it hasn’t been that hard. One of the first things Clark and Jeff said to me, which I really appreciate, is that they value schoolwork and that school comes first. If I need an afternoon to do schoolwork, they’re understanding and help me schedule stuff around it.”
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Roughly two months in, Naccarato is recognizing how valuable of an experience the graduate assistantship is.
“There are a lot of tangible skills that I’ve learned through intramurals that, even if I don’t want a career in Rec Sports, I can take to different areas; customer service, budgeting, running diversity trainings and getting more of an HR perspective that way, managing students and leadership, time management, organization. Even though it might not be specific to my career goals, there are a lot of skills that overlap, which is awesome. It’s definitely a really good and unique experience for me, especially in my field. There aren’t a lot of art and historical people who have an intramural graduate assistantship. I am so fortunate to have my position; it makes me more well-rounded.”
OUTSIDE OF REC SPORTS
Outside of the intramural office and experience, Naccarato also runs an art gallery in town.
“I am president of the XYZ Gallery and what I do for the gallery is set up the shows and am in contact with artists to set them up, run meetings for our regular members, talk about upcoming things, and hang art for the events.
Naccarato is able to see the short and long-term benefits of keeping herself busy with school, work, and extracurricular activities.
“Between grad school and law school I want to work in a gallery, so this is real-life gallery experience. [Running the gallery also] gives me an outlet away from work, which I really appreciate.”
THE #HOKIEMOVEMENT
“I think exercise is not only a good way to take a break from schoolwork, but there are also a lot of health benefits with it, specifically in terms of producing serotonin and other hormones. If I’ve learned anything from the COVID times it’s to really prioritize exercising, and I didn’t do that as much in the past. Now I am really starting to participate in the Hokie Movement and seeing the benefits of that; it really calms my head.”
Courtney Chapman - Fitness Graduate Assistant
FINDING GROUP FITNESS
Fitness Graduate Assistant Courtney Chapman found her footing in fitness during her undergraduate experience at Texas A&M.
“Group fitness was all very new to me; I had never experienced it before college. I went to classes my freshman year as a way to stay fit and introduce myself into something new and fun. What drew me to group fitness was that it had that community aspect to it.”
“I started teaching group fitness and it was a whole new world to me. I didn’t think much of it past college. I remember signing up for the class and telling my parents that it’ll be a fun side-gig, and even past college as a good part-time thing, but it had never occurred to me that it is actually something that I’d be able to do full on.”
WHY GRADUATE SCHOOL?
Having completed undergrad in only three years, Chapman knew grad school was a good option.
“I am still getting the college experience. Last year while I was applying for things and figuring it all out, that was when I was thinking how I could do this group fitness thing for real and when my boss and staff had started sending me different GA opportunities. That whole experience was really insane for me; it all happened so fast.”
“My pull into fitness is the community aspect of it and the inclusivity of it. Those are my passions and niches and the things that get me really excited. I really want a career that includes that whole side of things, and getting people interested in fitness in a whole new way.”
VIRGINIA TECH AND BEYOND
Adapting to unknown situations, especially given the new COVID-19 era, Chapman reflects on the past two months.
“I’ve never been super good at taking charge and being assertive and direct about things, so that’s something I’ve been taking with stride. If I’m the only one in the building for fitness and something happens, I’m the one that has to make that call, and that is something I’ve had to do, especially in those first couple of weeks. Problem-solving in a more assertive and direct way is something I’ve really grown into. Coming in as a GA I wasn’t really expecting to have to make certain calls on things, so it’s definitely been a learning experience already.”
Taking what she’s already learned thus far and looking into the future a bit, Chapman knows what she hopes to get out of this experience.
“Because during undergrad I never really had that direct path of what I wanted to do, I’m hoping to get that out of this job. I’m hoping to take away aspects of this job and recognize them as ones I want in future ones, as well as feeling a bit more established in my work in a professional sense.”
THE #HOKIEMOVEMENT
“Being a part of the Hokie Movement is about us all coming together and moving together. It’s something that everyone can be a part of and inclusive to. It has something for everyone.”