College Sports Information Directors of America

• CSC DEI Resources

CSC Voices: Celebrating AANHPI Heritage Month
May 15, 2024

In celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, we wanted to spotlight some of our amazing members this May. We asked each of them a series of questions and below are their answers, along with some in-action photos of them in the field.
 

Satbir Singh — Mohawk College Sports Information Coordinator, Marketing & Media
Satbir Singh joined Mohawk College's Department of Athletics and Recreation in the role of Sports Information Coordinator in 2021 after spending two years at Niagara This Week, a community newspaper in the Niagara Region where he worked as a reporter and photographer. Singh is also a member of the CSC 30 Under 30 Class of 2023.

As Sports Information Coordinator at Mohawk, Singh helped with the rollout of the departments rebrand in 2023, which included a redesign of the Athletics and Recreation website. He also assisted with the planning and execution of the 2023 CCAA Women's Basketball National Championship hosted at Mohawk.

What made you want to pursue a career in sports communications?
SS: I have always had a passion for sports and aspired to one day work as a journalist covering professional sports or working directly for a sports team. Once I got to university, at the time working for the campus student newspaper, I began to learn about Canadian post-secondary athletics (both U Sports and CCAA). More importantly, I realized that there were so many stories to be told about the university teams and the student-athletes. When I then found out there were career opportunities in sports communications at the university level, I had found the perfect career path for me to continue in sports and also be able to tell the stories of the athletes with direct access. To this day being able to tell those stories about the students and spotlight their successes, both athletically and academically, inspires me in my sports communications role.
 

What's one project or campaign that you're proudest of as a professional? Why?
SS: My proudest project is when Mohawk College hosted the 2023 CCAA Women's Basketball National Championship tournament. Being the lead on communications and marketing for the tournament, I got to oversee the social media plan, coordinate directly with the broadcast production and guide all content creation. Each area operated without any hiccups throughout the week and the quality of everything the team and I produced is something I remain proud of.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
SS: I remain a sports nerd outside of work. I'm a diehard Toronto Blue Jays fan, so I try not to miss any of their games, but I also keep up with the NBA, MLB and NFL. But a lot of my spare time is also just being with family and friends, typically going to our favourite watering hole and catching a game.

(As a member of the CSC 30 Under 30 Class of 2023) If you could give one piece of advice to a new professional in the field, what would it be?
SS: Never stop working on your craft in all areas. Sports communicators often need to step into different roles, overseeing social media, content creation, broadcast and so much more. Especially with the digital world constantly changing around us, it is important to find time to improve your skillset and knowledge in these areas. We never stop learning.

 

McKenzie Yi — Dartmouth College Assistant Director of Content Creation
McKenzie Yi joined Dartmouth Athletics as assistant director of content creation in March 2024. Yi previously spent nearly two years at her Alma mater, Division II University of Mount Olive (N.C.), where she served as the assistant director of athletic communications. She was responsible for the promotion and publicity of Mount Olive's 24 athletic programs through photo, video and written content. Yi also gained experience as a statistician, often inputting stats for a wide variety of sports, including lacrosse, field hockey, baseball, softball and volleyball. 
 
Yi had the opportunity to assist in media for Division II Baseball World Series, which Mount Olive hosted in 2022 and 2023. She also served as the social media contact for the Division II Field Hockey Championship and the Division II Indoor Track and Field Championship. 

What made you want to pursue a career in sports communications?
MY: After ending my career as a collegiate athlete, I knew I wanted to be involved in sports, and working in college athletics sounded like the perfect environment for me. It's a great combination of creating content and writing!

How did you get into content creation?
MY: I was introduced to content creation when I was in high school, and I realized how much I loved it in undergrad at the University of Mount Olive (UMO), when I was working for the sports communications department. I loved the idea of creating art through photo and video.

What's one project or campaign that you're proudest of as a professional? Why?
MY: The campaign that I am most proud of was the NCAA Diversity and Inclusion Social Media campaign in Fall 2023. Telling the stories of "Understanding the Why, I Belong Because, and A Shared Responsibility," in collaboration with the coaches and student-athletes at UMO was special. Hearing from a diverse group of people that come from different backgrounds was crucial to facilitating dialogue surrounding DEI. The best part of the campaign was hearing why UMO is a great place for cultivating a space to connect and understand each other.
 

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 
MY: Something I enjoy outside of work is spending time with my family, friends, and playing my ukulele.




Jorie Lincoln — Chaminade University Assistant Sports Information Director
O'ahu, Hawai'i native Jorie Lincoln returned home and joined the Chaminade University Athletics administrative staff in 2023 as the Assistant Sports Information Director. Her responsibilities include handling the athletic social media sites and statistical information.
 
Before joining the Chaminade communications team, Jorie was an intern at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where she worked in the marketing and fan experience department for athletics. Her duties there included both game day preparation and operations for women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, and men's and women's basketball.
 
Jorie played volleyball collegiately at both Tacoma Community College (TCC) in Tacoma, Washington, and at Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska. At TCC, she was a libero and defensive specialist for two years, collecting 469 digs and receiving west region honorable mention as a sophomore. At Bellevue, she played the same positions, helping her team make it to the NAIA national tournament both her junior and senior years.

She was also named a 2024 CSC UNITE Convention Attendance Grant recipient and will be attending the #CSCUnite24 convention in Las Vegas.

What made you want to pursue a career in sports communications?
JL: Sports has always been a huge part of my life, a lot of my childhood memories are at the field or in the gym. In high school I made it a goal of mine to pursue a college degree and a future career based off of what my passion was, not money or popularity (what everyone else is doing).

I always felt a connection towards sports, and not just because I was an athlete. My connection with sports as an athlete versus as a genuine interest were two different things. I loved to play volleyball, but I also was fascinated and interested in the behind the scenes and understanding sports outside of just the game. This is when I realized that I wanted to pursue a degree in sports and a career as well. There truly was no other career I wanted to venture into and have be a part of my life, which is why I am grateful for the position that I am in today.

What's one project or campaign that you're proudest of as a professional? Why?
JL: This is my first year of working in sports, before coming to Chaminade I did an internship at Creighton with their marketing and fan engagement department for athletics. My duties differed here and there, I was happy to experience different roles to see where I fit in or where my strengths were. I am still figuring it out as I go, but Chaminade has allowed me to expand on those strengths and interests I have had. With that being said, since being here at Chaminade I was able to work on my graphic design skills and running the social media.

My favorite project that I have worked on since being here at Chaminade are the team posters and the senior posters I made. The design and work itself when it comes to creating graphics can be tough, the outcome is always a part I look forward to, but mainly the reactions and gratitude from the athletes and coaches when they can take a piece of my work and have it mean something to them. At the end of the day, a lot of what we do here in collegiate athletics is to support and highlight these student-athletes on their accomplishments both on and off the court. I find graphic design to be a great way to showcase that.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
JL: Outside of work I love being with my family and friends. Their support has pushed me to be where I am today, and I am grateful for that. I also love watching reality TV, eating, and shopping.