By Hannah Stewart (Comm’19)

As an arts student, Cassidy Davis dreamed of working in the entertainment industry. But when she became a hockey fan, her interests turned to event management and sports media.

The last three-and-a-half years—which included six internships, many in sports—only validated her new dream of working in the sports world. This winter, she’s being recognized with the William W. White Outstanding Graduate award as a result of her hard work and determination.

Davis, a strategic communication major, knew she wanted to study advertising when she was applying for college, but she wanted to focus on the creative side of the business. After taking a few core classes, she discovered a love for copywriting and working with people, so she switched her concentration to public relations and hasn’t looked back.

“The best part of my time at CU has been getting such broad experience, including public relations, sports media and graphic design,” she said. “Being able to study all of my little niches and learning how to put them together has made me confident about applying what I’ve learned at work.”

Checking out hockey

She began her undergraduate career in fall 2020, the middle of the pandemic. With social distancing and so-called “COVID bubbles” in place, she spent many nights doing homework while occasionally watching a hockey game. Occasionally transformed into frequently, and frequently turned into enthusiastically.

“When I became a fan of hockey, I really became a fan of hockey,” she said. “That’s when I started thinking, event management would be cool, and started learning about other sports.”

Davis’ newfound passion for the industry led her to the sports media minor, which paved the way for several internships, including with Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, CAA Icon, the Colorado Rapids and more—she even got to live out her hockey-fan dreams by taking a picture with the Stanley Cup after the Colorado Avalanche won the title in 2022. Now she’s working with CU Athletics as a marketing and fan experience intern and loves it.

“I do a lot of the promotions during the media timeouts for every single sport,” Davis said. “My favorite experience has to be my time with CU Athletics and just being able to put my love for sports into my love for my college and my university.”

In addition to sports media, Davis also chose to minor in creative technology and design because of its emphasis on graphics and creative design. She said she pursued the minor in order to become  more well rounded.

Largely because of her academics, she has been able to more fully take part in the campus community, which she says is key to student success. Her advice to incoming students is to “join as much as you can and not be afraid to try for something, and make as many connections as you possibly can.”

It was her relationship with Dawn Doty—a teaching associate professor and someone Davis considers a mentor—that encouraged her to participate in the prestigious Bateman Competition as a junior. Through her sports media minor, she met Mike Davies (Jour’94) who also has become a mentor.

“He’s been a huge help in saying, ‘What do you want to do with your career?’ and introducing me to people,” Davis said. “I’m just going to continue networking as much as I can and learning as much as I can.”

‘Like an all-star’

Doty called Davis one of the best students she’s taught in nearly a decade at CU Boulder. 

“The best PR people I’ve known throughout my career are a combination of smart, tenacious and tireless,” Doty said. “Cassidy demonstrated all three of these characteristics during the Bateman competition.”

She said Davis’ attention in class helped her compete for the internships that have set her up for professional success, but beyond that, “Cassidy understands that being successful in the PR profession—and many others—requires networking, and she does this like an all-star.

“She has a clear vision of what she wants to do post-graduation, which helped her use her time at CU in a meaningful way.”

When Davis reflects on the past three and a half years, she said that she feels lucky to have had supportive teachers, a solid foundation, and the chance to study and work within her passions. So achieving the outstanding graduate award is the perfect sendoff.

“I’m very grateful for my time at CU and I feel like I’m so dedicated to finding a career I’m incredibly passionate about,” she said. “CU gave me all the materials to get there, and I’m super excited to see what happens after graduation.”