story by Max Clifford
Sport Administration Master’s Student
Students from the College of Education & Human Development’s sport administration program volunteered at events throughout the weekend leading up to the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship on Jan. 20.
The triumphant return of college football’s most anticipated event to Atlanta meant plenty of fanfare in the days leading up to the game. More than 35 undergraduate and graduate students from the sport administration program got in on the action, lending a hand and gaining experience at a series of events throughout the weekend.
The weekend of volunteering kicked off on Friday, Jan. 17, when students gathered at Georgia State’s Rialto Center for the Arts to prepare for Saturday’s Extra Yard for Teachers summit, which drew over 800 attendees. Part of the College Football Playoff Foundation, the event welcomed K-12 educators from across Georgia and featured appearances from Good Morning America’s Jess Sims, Rachel Lindsay of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” franchise and College Football Playoff Director Rich Clark.
Saturday’s slate of events also saw the Celebrating Female Leaders event, hosted by Women Leaders in Sports at the College Football Hall of Fame. Several of the sport administration program’s own female leaders were on hand to help execute the event and to hear from a panel featuring the Atlanta Dream’s Laila Brock, ESPN’s Amanda Gifford Lockwood, Clark and the University of Virginia’s Carla Green Williams.
The playoff festivities were capped off by the National Championship Game on Monday, Jan. 20. Prior to the game, CEHD students worked in activations, entertaining fans and keeping spirits high at the Playoff Fan Central. Students took on various roles, including taking pictures of fans with the sport’s most famous trophies and running physical challenges for Capital One’s fan engagement activity. Volunteers made their way to the stadium close to kickoff, where they helped fans of the Ohio State University and the University of Notre Dame make their way to the correct gate for the game.
For graduate student Sara Silva, volunteering throughout the weekend was a valuable opportunity to grow her network and gain hands-on experience. “We got to meet so many people, connect with wonderful professionals in the industry and gain the experience of working in situations even when things didn’t go according to plan,” she said. “It was really rewarding and exciting to be part of something so huge, and nothing compares to seeing the fans who were so excited to be there.”
The Sport Administration program partnered with the Atlanta CFP Host Committee, who coordinates the volunteers in the city. The committee leadership team has many ties to Georgia State: Director Diana Trujillo is a sport administration advisory board member, and Margaret Beckley earned her master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in sport administration.
“The Georgia State sport administration students were an essential part of the volunteer team for the 2025 CFP National Championship,” Beckley said. “Their previous experience working sporting events in Atlanta makes them well equipped to support in a variety of roles and truly stand out as exceptional volunteers.”
The sport administration program prepares students to work in the sport industry and is housed in the College of Education & Human Development’s Department of Kinesiology and Health. They offer a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (B.I.S.) with a concentration in sport administration, a Master of Science (M.S.) in Sport Administration and a Ph.D. in Kinesiology with a concentration in sport administration.