Alumni spotlight: Q&A with CaraMia Tsirigos ’13, digital specialist for Nike

Share a little about your story- what experiences or opportunities led you to your current role?
After completing my career as a student-athlete playing softball at Indiana University, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in sports industry management at Georgetown University. While there, I worked three jobs: at the local Nike retail store, as a social media intern at an editorial startup SportTechie, and as a hitting instructor. I had always had big dreams of working in sports and hoped one day it would lead me to Nike corporate. When the MLB All-Star Game came to D.C., I volunteered with the hope of networking myself into a job in baseball. As luck would have it, my introductions lead me to take a job at Blast Motion, a sports tech startup in southern California. After almost three years at Blast Motion and a boss who pushed me to expand my social media skills into digital marketing and branding, I landed a job with my dream company, Nike. Life is funny that way. You can make all the plans you want, but I would not be where I am today without the support of my family, my friends, and my faith.
What does your day-to-day look like?
As a digital specialist, I work specifically with our Footlocker account. We aim to bridge the gap to bring our Nike marketing priorities and stories to our partners. Oftentimes, we are tracking product launches to make sure we have digital marketing campaigns to support the launch, meeting with our internal marketing teams to align on messaging, or meeting with outside agencies to prepare for an upcoming signature athlete launch or story to go live on our Footlocker digital channels.
 
What is the most rewarding part of your career?
Because I spent much of my young career trying to learn, grow, and network, at times, I lost sight of the joy in the journey. Reflecting now, the most rewarding part is seeing how far I have come and the people that have stuck by me through it all. My hope for the future is to have a positive impact on the people and communities that I have the opportunity to work with.
 
What Wesleyan teacher had a profound impact on you?
For me, Mrs. Ashley Stainback, high school math teacher and grade chair, was someone who had a profound impact on my life. Her influence inside and outside of the classroom was what made her so special. High school was not always easy. It was a time of transformation. Mrs. Stainback was the guiding voice and light in my life back then. She was always there to tell me the hard truth, even when I didn’t want to hear it, and she pushed me to be better with my attitude and the way I carried myself. Whether she knows it or not, she invested herself in my growth so much so that for the first time I understood how much impact my words, attitude, and demeanor could have on the people around me. She attended many of my home softball and basketball games. Mrs. Stainback may not remember all the hard conversations she had with me, but her influence allowed me to grow. I would not be the woman I am today without her.
 
What is your favorite memory from Wesleyan athletics?
Wow, there are so many great memories. During my senior year, we were in the state championship for softball. In the final inning, I came to bat for the last time in my high school career and hit one of the longest home runs in my life. The home run was secondary to the support I felt from my teammates and family. I still have a video that my dad shot from the stands. You can hear him cheering. He passed away from cancer just about a year later, so that memory and my Wesleyan family made the homerun even more special.
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