Jacey Cuffie
Jacey Cuffie spent her childhood tagging along as her dad worked behind the scenes in college sports. Now that the Atlanta native is enrolled at Georgia State, she’s following in his footsteps by interning with the Athletics Department. After graduation, she plans to attend law school and focus on the legal aspects of sports.
Interview by Zohra Basmadjian
Tell us about yourself, and why you chose Georgia State?
I am a first-year majoring in sport administration. I found out about Georgia State through my dad, who does contract work for the school.
What caught my attention was that GSU is in proximity to all the major sports teams. I am also a Presidential Scholar.
When I was touring Georgia State, something I liked about it was its diversity. I think it’s important to be exposed to people who are different from you.
How did you choose sport administration as your major?
My dad inspired me since he works for college sports teams around Georgia. When I was younger, I would go to the games with him.
At first, I wanted to work in sports medicine but when I took a course on it in high school, I realized that learning about the bones and systems of the body wasn’t for me. It didn’t spark my interest, but I was still interested in sports, so I started researching careers in the field and it led me to sport administration.
What internship opportunities have you had as a student?
I intern with the Athletics Department helping with game-day communications at Georgia State. I got the internship when I was in high school.
We had to do a paper and I chose to do mine on sports, so I emailed some of the staff from Georgia State. I reached out to Athletics Director Charlie Cobb, and he passed along my email to some of the staff in the Athletics Department.
Before school started, I got an email from the communications manager, and we did a phone interview. After that, she offered me an internship.
In the fall, I worked for the football team and now I work with the basketball team.
What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far in college?
Time management, and making sure that I keep up with assignments. It was different in high school because my teachers would remind me to complete assignments, but in college, your professors only give you a syllabus.
I’ve also learned to always check my emails. I used to have a bunch of unread emails when I was in high school but now I’ve learned that you should always check them, or you can miss out on useful information.
What are your plans after graduation?
I plan to go to law school, focusing on sports and entertainment law. I want to become an agent or work for the legal side of the NBA or WNBA.
What impact do you hope to leave on the world?
To show African American girls that they can do anything.
When I was younger, I rarely saw representation for Black women which caused me to have a lot of insecurities. I always felt like I was unsure of what my place was in the world. Now, I hope I can show other girls who look like me that they can do anything they want to do — whether it’s becoming a lawyer, doctor or teacher. Whatever it is that you want to do in life, you can do it.
