PALM DESERT, CA – Sydney Ferris has worn many hats over her academic career. As an undergraduate student at La Verne, she held the titles of executive board member of Phi Sigma Sigma, Programming Chair for Order of Omega, and the Campus Activities Board Publicity Chair, among others. After graduating with a degree in communications and public relations, Sydney took another hefty role: Sports Information Graduate Assistant and master's student.

Her dedication to the La Verne Athletics department and the advancement of the Leopards' social outreach drew the attention of NCAA Division III administrators, and she donned one of her most prestigious hats yet: social media coordinator for the NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championships. 

Ferris found herself multitasking, much like she does on the job at La Verne. She was tasked with capturing and editing action shots of golfers for social media, creating graphics that drew audience attention, increasing fan engagement for the official NCAA DIII account, and enhancing the championship's online presence.

When asked about the experience, Ferris also mentioned that telling stories of student-athletes at ULV in a fast-paced environment directly aided her in this role. She was ecstatic that her various responsibilities at La Verne made the experience at the championship possible. She credits the La Verne Assistant Athletic Director for Communications and Sports Information, Anthony Avila, for unlocking her passion for social media. "Running our athletics page and constantly keeping up with social media trends really helped me develop the creativity, adaptability, and confidence needed to succeed at a national championship event," said Ferris.

Ferris has been involved in sports long before she started her work as a Graduate Assistant. A long-time loyal Angels fan and overall baseball fanatic, Ferris knows sports well, but wasn't particularly familiar with golf. "It was definitely a challenge learning all the moving parts of tournament coverage, keeping track of tee times, locating players when I needed photos or videos, and figuring out where the leaders were on the course at any given moment. But after the first day, everything started to click and became much easier to navigate."

Her ability to learn quickly and adapt is one of Ferris' many strengths that have made her so successful as La Verne Athletics' social media manager. Under her leadership, the Leopards' Instagram page has grown to have the highest following in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) and among the top in the entire division.

Ferris has a bright future ahead of her and plans to graduate this December and continue to work in sports, specifically in a social media role. Her experience at the DIII Women's Golf Championships confirmed her desire to pursue a career in sports. "This experience reaffirmed my belief to take any chance or opportunity you get."