Women in Sports Panel Offers Roadmap, Real Talk for Baylor Student Journalists

Five women who built careers across the fast-changing landscape of college athletics urged Baylor journalism students to chase opportunity, embrace discomfort and own their place in the sports world during a wide-ranging classroom panel this week.

The speakers — Baylor staff members Josie Hutton, Katie Smith, Ciara Gresham, Haneen Rashwan, and Krista Pirtle — joined sportswriter and adjunct lecturer Jerry Hill to discuss their paths into athletics and the obstacles they overcame along the way. Their stories differed sharply, but they shared a common thread: none mapped out a perfect plan. Instead, each woman worked, adapted and said yes to unfamiliar challenges.

Josie Hutton: Work Ethic Over Everything

Hutton, Baylor’s sports information director for men’s basketball, men’s tennis and a secondary football contact, said her career began almost by accident. Growing up in Mississippi, she loved sports and writing but lacked a clear direction as she entered Mississippi State.

“My parents were very adamant that I would not be an undeclared major,” she said. “I knew I liked sports, and I knew I liked to write.”

She switched from sport administration to communications and spent all four undergraduate years working in athletic communications.

“I took it really, really seriously,” Hutton said. “I worked really hard… I don’t think I would have been here today if I hadn’t.”

Hutton encouraged students to understand the value of simply showing up. “Just being around all the time — you’re more likely to make a connection,” she said.

Katie Smith: Finding Purpose Behind the Scenes

Smith, an All-American volleyball player at Baylor and now assistant athletic director for business operations, said she didn’t initially envision a career in sports. Though she grew up around athletics, she assumed she’d pursue a business-focused job.

When she discovered Baylor’s sports sponsorship and sales program, she realized for the first time that the sports world had professional pathways beyond coaching.

“It was the first time it occurred to me that there were professions within athletics,” Smith said.

While still competing, Smith earned her MBA and interned in the athletics business office. That experience unlocked her interest in the financial and operational side of college sports. She credited Executive Senior Associate AD Cody Hall as a mentor whose humility and consistency shaped her approach to leadership.

She also remains connected to volleyball through broadcasting. Staying involved with the program, she said, keeps her grounded in the sport she loved as an athlete.

Ciara Gresham: Adapting Through Change

Gresham, a former Eastern Michigan gymnast and Baylor’s associate director of fan experience, once imagined a completely different future. She considered veterinary school, then law school, before realizing both required levels of schooling she didn’t want.

A graduate assistant at Eastern Michigan introduced her to athletics marketing, a field she never knew existed as a student-athlete.

“As a student-athlete, you don’t see behind the scenes,” Gresham said. “It never crossed my mind that people actually work to put on our events.”

Her own college years were marked by unusual instability — 13 coaches in four years — which forced her to quickly learn how to interact with a wide range of personalities. That skill, she said, serves her daily in athletics.

“Being able to figure out what type of coach I’m dealing with… that helped me now,” she said.

For students, her advice was simple: find confidence and own the space you’re in, even when you’re the only woman in the room.

Haneen Rashwan: Stepping Into the Unknown With NIL

Baylor’s director of NIL administration described her path as something she never planned — and initially resisted. A business student at Oklahoma State, she was pulled into early NIL discussions in 2021, long before clear rules existed.

“Nobody could tell you what an NIL department was or how to build it,” Rashwan said.

Rashwan helped create OSU’s first NIL structures and later worked on collective fundraising. The constantly evolving landscape — including the recent House settlement — continues to reshape her job.

“It’s okay to fail,” Rashwan said. “You’re going to fail multiple times… but know your value and step into the room like you’re meant to be there.”

Rashwan reminded students that being uncomfortable is sometimes the biggest sign of growth. “I’ve always been in that uncomfortable phase,” she said, “but that’s what prepares you.”

Krista Pirtle: A Winding Path, Rooted in Storytelling

Pirtle, Baylor’s senior director of revenue generation for the Bear Foundation, started as a Baylor journalism student dreaming of interior design, then pivoted to sportswriting after an assistant basketball coach noticed how often she read Sports Illustrated.

She spent years covering high school and college sports — including a stint blogging for The New York Times — before moving into athletics communications and eventually fundraising.

Pirtle also spoke candidly about double standards women face on-camera.

“A guy can talk stats and be fine,” Pirtle said. “A girl — you better look perfect.”

Her message urged students to avoid chasing impossible expectations. “Know your stuff, know your worth,” she said.

Across more than an hour of conversation, the panelists returned to themes of confidence, persistence and embracing discomfort.

“I wish I had someone to help me with my confidence,” Gresham said. “Own your space… and just do it.”

For Hill’s sportswriting class — many of whom hope to work in the industry — the message was clear: start where you are, say yes, work hard and don’t wait until you feel fully ready.

As the panelists proved, the sports world often rewards those who dive in before they have everything figured out.