Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Melman.
Danielle, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up on the central coast, in a small town called Arroyo Grande. I had the opportunity to continue my education at UC San Diego and play water polo. While at UC San Diego I found my passion for athletics administration and leadership through my athletics department. I was an athletics marketing assistant for three years and held a leadership role on our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two years.
After graduation, I didn’t feel prepared for the real world. I didn’t begin looking for a job until my senior season ended in May of 2003. Although I obtained a BS in biology, I knew I didn’t want to go to medical school, but I didn’t know what my future path would hold for me. I really enjoyed athletics but was unaware of how to continue within that profession. I didn’t have a mentor and felt as if my identity had been taken away from me now that I was no longer considered a “student-athlete”. I was lost and didn’t have any resources to help me figure out what the next steps would be.
Four months after graduation I landed a job with GEICO auto insurance as a sales agent. GEICO was, and still is, known for their robust sales training program, so although I didn’t see myself selling insurance for the rest of my life, I thought I could take my new acquired sales skills and apply them to a future in pharmaceutical sales. I learned quickly that former student-athletes thrive in a sales environment, where competitiveness is more than welcomed. Eight years later, I was still working at GEICO. Throughout my eight years, I held various positions such as sales agent, sales supervisor, sales analyst and partnership marketing manager. I was doing well but never felt 100% happy. To an extent, I still felt a bit lost.
My boyfriend, now husband, took me to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. I spent three weeks experiencing the beautiful country and falling in love with soccer, all while soul searching, trying to find my happiness. As we landed back in San Diego, I knew I needed to make a change to help myself – I wanted back in athletics where I could follow my passion in helping others through athletics administration.
I ended up studying for my MS in Sports Management at Drexel University (Philadelphia) and had the chance to return back to my undergraduate alma mater in the athletics department. For the past five years now I have been the Assistant Athletics Director for External Relations, where I have the opportunity to make an impact on our student-athletes and alumni athletes.
After feeling lost for so many years, I have made it my mission to create dialog with our current student-athletes and young alumni athletes about life after graduation, communicating that members of their Triton community can relate to how they are feeling and can provide guidance and support to help them through their path, whether professionally or personally. My goal is to help build a robust Triton network for our community, doing what I can to help our student-athletes and alumni athletes achieve their professional and personal goals.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My professional path has been a windy one, but it is what has made me who I am today. Never once have I regretted a decision I made, both professionally and personally. Every experience has made me a better individual. I often try to communicate this with our student-athletes and alumni athletes, letting them know that even if they fail, there is always something to learn and always room to grow.
What I tell to our student-athletes is that life is not always going to go the way they plan it. Maybe up until their college career they were always the best at everything they did. They find out fast that when they leave the collegiate bubble, the real world can be rough. And although the external world can be tough, learning about yourself can be even tougher. I let the student-athletes and young alumni know that they must take every experience and learn from it.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about UC San Diego – what should we know?
I am the Assistant Athletics Director for External Relations at UC San Diego, where I focus on alumni and community engagement as well as oversee our annual giving efforts. When I first moved into this role, I noticed that our alumni were not very engaged with the department. Over the past five years I, along with my colleagues, have created a space where we can bring back alumni athletes to interact with current student-athletes.
Whether it is in the form of mentorships, panel discussions or job opportunities, we are teaching the student-athletes that their Triton network runs very deep and is everlasting, well beyond their years as a student. This not only engages the student-athletes, but it allows for our alumni to give back in other ways outside of giving financial support.
I am very proud of the synergy we have created between the student-athletes and the alumni athletes. It is great to see both groups interact. I love connecting people, and I get great joy out of the fact that I can utilize all the relationships I have formed over the years to help build mutually beneficial connections between student-athletes and alumni at UC San Diego.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Strong interpersonal skills and effective communication has been most important to my success.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0531
La Jolla, CA 92093 - Website: www.ucsdtritons.com
- Instagram: @UCSDTritons
- Facebook: @UCSDTritons
- Twitter: @DanielleAMelman
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