Hi everyone! My name is Erica Slye, but my friends call me “E. Slye”. I am a senior Business Information Technology Student from Reston, Virginia, and I love the Hokies more than life itself. I am a strong willed, and competitive third generation Hokie. Initially, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to make Virginia Tech my home, but as I reflect on my time here, I am so glad that I did.
Freshman year, I quickly got involved with the campus ministry, Cru, as I was looking for a group of friends that shared my values to better ease my transition to college. I lived in the Residential Leadership Community (RLC) and ended up staying my sophomore year as an intern and the Vice President of the community. I also joined a sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and the Collegiate Women in Business. Towards the end of the year, I realized that I had a passion for the sports industry and knew that I wanted to get involved with Virginia Tech Athletics to some capacity.
As a senior, I have now been working in sales, video, and broadcasting for Virginia Tech Athletics for over two years. These experiences have really challenged me to learn about all aspects of the sports industry, narrowing down what I hoped to pursue as a career.
Remember how I mentioned that I am strong willed and competitive? Well, it looks like sales in a male dominated field is where I thrive. I’ve loved being challenged in the industry that I am passionate while also being a support system of women in the field. This fueled the desire that lead me to being the Business Coordinator for the Virginia Tech New Organization of Excellence in 2019; The Society of Women in Sports Media.
I’ve chosen to spend my time and pursue goals that are centered around my values personal leadership philosophy. In short, I lead to give others a voice. No matter the “type” or “category” of leadership something might be on paper, there is still a way to make people feel heard. I plan to continue living out this mentality after graduation as I continue my career in Sport Business as a New Business Consultant with the Arizona Diamondbacks. How am I going to do that? Great question. I’ll find out when I get there.
LDRS 4044 