Sierra Dickson: Set Up for the Future

The title student-athlete comes with a lot of pressure behind it. It comes with expectations of athletic and academic excellence. Perhaps one of the unsung pressures coming along with it is answering the question: what’s next?

Texas State women’s basketball guard Sierra Dickson she’s working on answering that question ahead of her senior season at Texas State.

“I’ve always been aware that eventually I’ll stop playing basketball,” she said. “I’ve always thought about my future and what I was going to do after. Now that I’m coming closer to graduation, I’m like ‘okay I know what I want to do’, and I want to get my foot in the door while I have time.”

As she started having these thoughts about post-grad life and where she wanted to go next, Dickson’s coaches told her about a Student-Athlete Mentoring Program via NBC Sports.

NBC Sports partners with the Women’s Sports Foundation to provide a mentorship program for female student-athletes to get involved and gather experience in the careers they want to do post-graduation.

The program includes 20 student-athletes from a variety of schools and sports. They receive one-on-one mentorship from someone working in the sports industry already. 

After deciding to pursue sports marketing, Dickson applied and was accepted into the NBC program.

“Programs beyond the classroom and court are a necessity,” said head coach Zenarae Antoine. “For all students, but more specifically for student-athletes who are generally busy training and playing so their window for participation in outside activities is limited. As coaches, it is important that we foster an environment that allow our student-athlete to grow beyond the University setting.”

With support from her coaching staff to participate, Dickson could invest herself in the mentorship program fully. Though it came with another thing to balance on an already full plate as a student-athlete, she knew it was a meaningful experience.

“Student-athletes already balance school and athletics,” she said. “Now as I’m getting older and getting closer to graduation, I’m trying to work on what I’m going to do for your future. Now it’s just managing my time and making sure that I’m still giving everything to my academics and my basketball.”

The NBC program started by pairing each athlete with an experienced mentor in the field they wanted to go into. 

For Dickson, that was sports marketing.

She didn’t know from the start that she wanted to go into marketing; that was something she discovered while in college. When she was younger, she wanted to go into sports medicine and athletic training, but as she went through her schooling, she realized she had different passions.  

“I’ve always known I wanted to stay in sports,” she said. “The marketing side came out of left field, but now that I’m in it, I love it. I love marketing, business, trying to sell things to people.” 

As she dove deeper into the mentorship program, she was able to take part in a lot of valuable career-building exercises. The athletes participating in the program learned practical skills like resume building, cover letter writing, and how to interview. Through working with her mentor, she was able to learn these skills as well as apply for some internships.

Above all else, though, she got a look at what it was going to be like to break into the industry.

“This program was a great opportunity for me,” Dickson said. “It not an easy industry to get in in general but also a black woman as well, the industry is not easy. Opportunities like the one I had are important for students and seeing people like you in leadership roles is important.”

In her time at Texas State, Dickson has been fortunate enough to learn from another black woman in a position of power, her head coach.

“It’s not common in any industry to see a black woman in a position of power,” Dickson said. “That in and of itself is something to look up to. Coach pushes us to break barriers and be different. Her support means a lot.”

Antoine is not shy about her support of her athletes. She wants them to take every opportunity to push boundaries, inside and outside their sport.

“When you are part of an underrepresented group having opportunity to participate is vital in making positive changes to hiring practices,” Antoine said. “If opportunity is provided, then you can truly challenge for positions in the field.”

In addition to basketball and the NBC mentorship program, Dickson serves as Texas State’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s secretary, a title she’s in her second year with, and has been awarded the Texas State Star of Excellence multiple times.

“It’s important to me, just getting involved in more stuff outside of just basketball,” Dickson said. “I’m trying to help in whatever way I can.”

As the new athletic year begins and summer practices begin for Texas State Women’s Basketball, Dickson is excited about the new year and new expectations for herself both on and off the court.

“I dealt with my injury last year,” she said. “I’m excited to just start a new year, start fresh, and get back to being healthy and get back to where I was if not a lot better.”

As the reigning Sun Belt Conference Regular Season Champions, Dickson and her team have high expectations for the 2023-24 season.

“After winning a championship obviously it doesn’t get any better than that,” she said. “We want to continue to have success next year in the same way.”

As for her off-the-court aspirations, Dickson will start an internship in marketing with Texas State Dining Services this summer as she starts expanding her resume for when she’s done at Texas State.Antoine is not shy about her support of her athletes. She wants them to take every opportunity to push boundaries, inside and outside their sport.

“When you are part of an underrepresented group having opportunity to participate is vital in making positive changes to hiring practices,” Antoine said. “If opportunity is provided, then you can truly challenge for positions in the field.”