College Sports Information Directors of America

Nicole Sasu-Twum is in her first year as Sports Information Director at SUNY College at Old Westbury, an NCAA Division III institution in Old Westbury, Long Island, New York, about 22 miles from Manhattan. Sasu-Twum was hired as the school's first-ever sports information assistant in 2017 after she joined the staff as a graduate intern the year before.

She is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the sports information office in addition to assisting the Assistant Director of Athletics for Athletic Facilities/SWA in the oversight of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

A native of Briarwood, New York, Sasu-Twum earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at SUNY Polytechnic Institute University while playing basketball for the Wildcats and working as a student assistant in the sports information office. She earned her masters degree in sport administration from the Canisius College in 2017. She was a recipient of the NCAA Inclusion College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Grant in 2019 which afforded her the opportunity to attend the 2019 CoSIDA Convention and visit and network at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis.
 

What was it like to be SUNY College at Old Westbury's first sports information assistant? And how was that transition to becoming sports information director?
NST: It's great being the first anything because you get to set the tone and pave the way for the generation after you. I had great pride being the assistant because it was validation that all of my hard work was starting to pay off. At the time, I was still working full time at a group home and working part time at Old Westbury and I was blessed to have the support of my family in making that work. The transition to becoming the director was seamless because my predecessor was training me for the head job whether it was at Old Westbury or a different institution. It just so happened that he had an opportunity which in turn opened up mine.
 
The transition was easy because of all the relationships that I already established over the years of being at Old Westbury. The administration, coaches, and student-athletes already had their trust in me and all I had to do was to continue producing good work and deepening my rapport.

A little over a year ago you received the NCAA Inclusion CoSIDA Grant. What was that experience like? 
NST: I loved everything about being a recipient of the NCAA Inclusion CoSIDA Grant! I was given the opportunity to meet and engage with young like-minded professionals that looked like me. I went to convention for the second time and I was more intentional about meeting and learning from new people. Meeting Rebecca Gaona (Old Dominion University, Division I), Airis Thomas (Towson University, Division I), Alyce Bryant (University of Virginia's College at Wise, Division II), Eric Harding (California State University, East Bay, Division II), and Taylor Garcia (Mills College, Division III) was just an added bonus.
 
We really took our relationship to another level when we visited the NCAA national headquarters in Indianapolis over the summer. Even more so now during the pandemic, the six of us still speak to each other to check in, bounce ideas and support one another in everything that we do. I will be forever grateful for the experience because it helped build my village.
 

What is your most memorable moment in your young career as an SID?
NST: My most memorable moment in my career was actually when I was the sports information assistant during the 2017-18 Women’s Basketball season. The team won their second Skyline Conference championship earning the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. I was living vicariously through them because it took me back to my playing career when unfortunately we lost in the conference championship game against Keuka College, which I’ll probably never get over. My whole thought process watching that team was “this is what it feels like to win.” Being able to honor the team during ring night the following season and also find out that I would take part in the festivities alongside them was a privilege as well.

SUNY Old Westbury, like many schools, has paused or canceled competition. What are some of the challenges you face to communicate stories and information with the teams, coaches and fans?
NST: The main challenge I faced was creating content that would be able to get and keep people engaged. I’ll admit I took for granted how easy stories came to us pre-pandemic. Now, in our “new normal” we have to be innovative in how we are going to tell our student-athletes’ stories, especially when the only thing people care about is finding a way to return to play safely. What helped my office overcome these challenges was the relationships that were built with the teams and the coaches. They had a desire of wanting their stories told to showcase their experiences and their programs to the fans, prospective student-athletes, and alumni.
 

You mentioned your college sports days. During your undergraduate career at SUNY Polytechnic Institute, you were a part of the women’s basketball team. Can you tell us how the team communication you learned as a collegiate athlete has translated to your professional career?
NST: It's a true statement when they say “communication is key” and you cannot avoid it. As a collegiate athlete, we needed to communicate with one another, verbally and non-verbally. Our communication focused on meeting individual needs, conveying important information, and providing positive and constructive feedback. This helped us build our rapport, trust, and loyalty with one another because we were all working together towards the same goal of winning a championship.
 
Fast forward to my professional career where it was a bit more challenging to communicate effectively compared to being on the basketball court. I was in my comfort zone playing basketball and everything came to me organically. In the professional world, I knew that I needed to work on this skill every day. I became more intentional in learning more about communication styles and how to receive information, my own and others. I got the grasp quickly that there is always a goal or a why associated with communications.
 
My colleagues and I (administration/coaches) have one overarching why, which is enhancing the student-athlete experience. We all bring different skill sets to the table and we need to be able to communicate effectively to build our rapport, trust, and loyalty with each other. Our students are watching every day how we engage with one another and it translates to how they engage with their peers.

Can you recall your best game as a collegiate athlete? If so, what do you remember about that game?
NST: My best game as a collegiate athlete had to be on senior day. It was my best game because it was the first time my mother came to watch me play. My team’s best season was in 2012 and on my senior day we played Wilson College. We won by at least double-digits and we earned the right to host the NEAC Championship Tournament. Now, I don’t remember how I played or how many minutes I actually got but as exciting as all of that was, all I really cared about was my mother coming five hours upstate to watch me play.
 

From your bio, I see that you first got involved in sports information during undergrad by providing videography and game film distribution services. How did that experience come about?
NST: I received college work study my freshman year and was placed in athletics, which was smart and easy for me since I was already in the department as a student-athlete. I actually wasn’t asked by the SID at the time to film the games. It was my strength and conditioning coach who staffed the games and I just happened to be good at following the action. Because there weren’t any issues with me filming and I was reliable, I was the person that was always called to work even when I was in season. Overall, I loved every minute of it.

You spent seven years as a youth specialist for Martin De Porres Youth and Family Services, the nonprofit organization that provides community-based services for at-risk youth. Tell us about some of your experiences there.
NST: I needed a job to help pay for my student loans. I had no idea what I was getting myself into or what the job actually entailed. I instantly fell in love with the position and group home because I was working with black and brown young people, I played an intricate role in helping them transform their lives, and I was getting promoted. I held different positions during my tenure and built long-lasting relationships with my colleagues as well as the young people I served.

But, my biggest takeaway was what I learned about myself in my seven years of service. I learned how to be more empathetic because you don’t know what hand people have been dealt to become resilient in life. I learned how important it is to walk in your own journey and not influence people to follow the same path as you. I learned how to advocate for people that are unable to do so for themselves; I appreciate a good underdog story.
 
I also learned how to be comfortable in being uncomfortable; being comfortable breeds complacency and you only grow when you are uncomfortable. And finally, I learned to always pay it forward because the trailblazers ahead of me always reached back to help me and I should continue to do the same for the generation after me. I will always be grateful for Martin De Porres giving me my first professional start.
 

You pride yourself on being active in professional development programming. What motivates you to attend those conferences and seminars?
NST: I am a sponge. I want to soak up as much information and knowledge as possible so I can produce the best work. I want to be great at my craft; I believe that is the biggest reward I can give myself and professional development is all about that. Then, I want to take all the information and knowledge and share it with the world. I believe it is a huge disservice if the information dies with me. It all goes back to my method of paying it forward. I want my colleagues and student-athletes to benefit greatly.

Once you’re finished with the work for the day, what do you enjoy doing?
NST: It depends on the day. Some days it could be watching television or going out to exercise to help relax my mind. Other days it could be spending time with my family, especially my six-year-old nephew, Jayden. I love watching him grow up and he reminds me to not take life so seriously.

Favorite binge worthy TV show and why?
NST: Greys Anatomy, hands down! Once upon a time, I thought about being a surgeon and I was halfway decent in my science classes until I wasn’t. So, I like to pretend to be a surgeon whenever I watch the show. Plus, Shonda Rhimes is a storytelling genius!