I am currently a senior Marketing major at the Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado. Through my life experiences combined with the courses I have taken and knowledge gained as a Business student, I have been able to identify my career focus as Sports Marketing. Growing up, sports not only reinforced the values and lessons that my parents had taught me, but also allowed me to learn my own lessons, express myself, and live a healthy lifestyle. I also have experience and a deep background in the fitness industry, which can be considered a compliment to the sports industry. As a very young child, my father was a very accomplished personal trainer and I would spend much of my time in the gym day care and making a name for myself around the facility. As I got older, my father owned a exercise equipment sales store as well as a franchise store of a large national chain of gyms. My background in fitness as well as my passion and love for sports have combined to teach me lessons that aren't taught in business schools, but support and supplement what is taught in these courses. Students must prepare for the tests and exams they must pass, athletes must prepare for the competitions they enter, and anyone who wants to be successful in any aspect of life must prepare.I am pursuing a career in the Sports Marketing industry in order to surround myself with what I am passionate about. In sports, as well as in life, you must be prepared for an opportunity when and where it arises to fully take advantage of it. I am preparing myself for a successful career in the Sports Marketing industry by expanding my overall knowledge of business as a Marketing major, as well as consistently pursuing information particular to the sports, fitness, and advertising industries.