This yearā€™s tournament will be the first FIFA World Cup to be hosted by three nations ā€” United States, Canada and Mexico ā€” and the first to include an expanded field of 48 teams from across the globe. Eleven U.S. cities will host 78 matches June 11 ā€“ July 19, including the championship match in New York and third place playoff in Miami.

This historic event coincides with the United Statesā€™ 250th anniversaryĢż²¹²Ō»å marks the first time since 1994 the country has hosted the menā€™s World Cup.

Hereā€™sĀ a look at some of the Knights bringing this event to life.

Izzy Angel ā€™23

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Role:Ģż²Ń±š»å¾±²¹Ģż“Ē±č±š°ł²¹³Ł¾±“Ē²Ō²õĢż²¹²Ō»åĢż²õ±š°ł±¹¾±³¦±š²õ
FIFA location: Atlanta

I will be supporting media logistics, guiding photographers and press to designated areas, and facilitating press conferences and interviews. One of the biggest ways UCF prepared me for this opportunity was through its emphasis on networking, collaboration and real-world experience. That mindset opened doors to internships, jobs and experiences that helped me gain confidence in putting myself out there and connecting with people.

Itā€™s been really fulfilling to meet people with completely different backgrounds and life experiences who are all coming together over a shared passion. Being part of something on such a global scale and feeling that sense of community has been incredibly special.

Brendon Boseja ā€™25

Bachelorā€™s inĀ integratedĀ business

Role:Ā SeniorĀ coordinator,Ā Client Group ManagementĀ Accreditation
FIFA site: Miami

At UCF, I learned to network and make many connections in the industry and to continue these relationships. This has especially helped me throughout FIFA, especially since my main job is to communicate with every stadium involved in the tournament. Working for a sports organization as big as FIFA has been a dream of mine, and to be involved with an event like the World Cup is surreal to think about.

Taylor Culver ā€™23 ā€™26MSBM ā€™26MBA

Bachelorā€™s in kinesiology
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Masterā€™s in business administration

Role:Ā EventĀ executive, FIFA Fan Festival
FIFA site: Houston

ā€œBecause of the connections, mentorship and opportunities I gained through UCF, these experiences expanded my confidence and showed me that I truly belong in this industry.ā€

My role is to help create and execute large-scale fan experiences that bring the energy of the World Cup to life outside of the stadium. Being able to contribute to an event of this magnitude is both humbling and motivating, and I know it will be one of the most impactful experiences of my career. UCF prepared me for this opportunity by putting me in real-world sports environments early and constantly challenging me to grow as a leader. Through the program and my experience as a recruiting assistant for UCF Athletics with the football team, I learned how to operate in fast-paced environments where organization, communication and adaptability are critical. Because of the connections, mentorship and opportunities I gained through UCF, these experiences expanded my confidence and showed me that I truly belong in this industry.

Daniel Garzon ā€™23 ā€™24MSBM ā€™24MBA

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Masterā€™s in businessĀ administration

Role:Ā WorkforceĀ integrationĀ seniorĀ coordinator,Ā Tournament Operation Center Services
FIFA site:Ā Miami

I started my journey at FIFA as an intern with the volunteer management team shortly after graduating from the DeVos Sport Business Management program in 2024. As a recruitment coordinator, I spearheaded communications and recruitment strategy while sourcing and scheduling thousands of candidates. Now in my new role, I will be in the heartbeat of the headquarters of the tournament, fulfilling operational needs for all departments while manipulating data to make informed decisions for all the venues during the World Cup.

William Mendez ā€™26MSBM ā€™26MBA

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Masterā€™s in businessĀ administration

Role: Team protocol liaison officer
FIFA site:Ā Miami

I will provide operational support as a main point of contact for the teamsā€™ protocol representatives, managing VIP/VVIP seating, ticket distribution and logistics. Iā€™m truly excited to be part of an event of this magnitude because FIFA ā€™26 goes beyond sports by bringing people together across cultures from all over the world.ā€ÆThe DeVos Sport Business Management program at UCF has played a major role in preparing me for this moment, giving me the hands-on experience and confidence I need to contribute to an event of this scale.

Colin Oā€™Toole ā€™26MSBM ā€™26MBA

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Masterā€™sĀ in businessĀ administration

Role: Accreditation center coordinator
FIFA site:Ā Boston

I grew up watching the World Cup and always dreamed of being part of the most watched sporting event in the world. My experience in the soccer industry through both professional and volunteer roles gave me a strong foundation, and the DeVos program broadened my perspective. It exposed me to the business side of the industry, while simultaneously connecting me with incredible mentors and peers, ultimately giving me the confidence and network to land this opportunity with FIFA.

Connor Pank ā€™17

Bachelorā€™s inĀ management

Role:Ģż°Õ±š²¹³¾Ģż²õ±š°ł±¹¾±³¦±š²õĢż±¹±š²Ō³Ü±šĢż“Ē“Ś“Ś¾±³¦±š°ł
FIFA site: Tampa, Florida

The sport business management minor at UCF offered plenty of opportunities to gain practical experience in the industry. My junior year, I was fortunate enough to land a season-long internship at Orlando City Soccer Club in the game day operations department, which then turned into a full-time position with seven amazing seasons of constant growth and experiences that I am forever gratefulā€Æfor.

Being involved in a FIFA World Cup has been a personal goal of mine since my early days with Orlando City SC, when we hosted a U.S. Soccer vs.Ā Panama World Cup QualifierĀ ahead of theĀ 2018 FIFA World Cup.Ā Every teamĀ participatingĀ in the World Cup chooses a designated home base,Ā which includes the team hotel, trainingĀ siteĢż²¹²Ō»å other operational support facilities as needed. My role is centered around acting as FIFAā€™s primary operational lead on-site for Cabo Verdeā€™s home base in Tampa to ensure a seamless, world-class experience.

Annie Quaile ā€™06

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Role:Ā VenueĀ manager,Ā FIFA Fan Festival
FIFA site: Atlanta

I act as the bridge between FIFA, Atlanta and the commercial and operational partners delivering the Fan Festival experience. My role focuses on coordinating eventĀ logistics, operations, guest experience, VIP and talent management, and partner integration while ensuring FIFA brand standards are upheld throughout the event.

One of the biggest takeaways from my experience at UCF was learning how to balance creativity,Ā leadershipĢż²¹²Ō»å problem-solving under pressure, which isĀ essentially theĀ foundation of live event and operational management.Ā The FIFA World Cup is one of the few truly global experiences that brings together people from every background,Ā cultureĢż²¹²Ō»å country around a shared passion.Ā All ofĀ the planning, coordination and operational work happens behind the scenes for months, so finally seeing people from around the worldĀ gathering together, celebrating and creating memories is incredibly rewarding.

Andres Sifontes ā€™24

Bachelorā€™s in communication

Role:Ā Coordinator, Accreditation Documentation and Training Operations
FIFA site: Houston

I joined the FIFA team in September 2024, supporting preparations for both Club World Cup 2025 and FIFA World Cup 2026. In my role now, I oversee Accreditation Center operations in Houston, assist volunteers, and ensure that key stakeholders ā€” including partners like Coca-Cola, Adidas and Visa ā€” receive proper credentials. UCFā€™s communication program, and especially myĀ Communication Research MethodsĢż±Ź°ł“Ē“Ś±š²õ²õ“Ē°ł , equipped me with the tools I continue to apply every day in my role at FIFA by teaching me how to communicate effectively, carry myself professionally, and think strategically.

Since graduating, my goal has been to contribute to the growth of soccer in the United States. This passion has always been part of who I am, and UCF helped me build the foundation to pursue it professionally. After graduation, I worked with Inter Miami CF, and now with FIFA, Iā€™ve been fortunate to play a role in supporting the continued development of the sport. I truly believe we are about to witness unprecedented growth for the game in this country. I hope that at the end of my career, I can look back and say I contributed to that growth ā€” and that it all started at UCF.

Dennis Sprenkle ā€™01

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Role:Ā Director ofĀ workforceĢż²¹²Ō»åĀ humanĀ resources
FIFA site:Ģż²Ń¾±²¹³¾¾±

My team oversees the employee journey from recruitment to offboarding across the three host countries (Canada, Mexico and the U.S.) and 16 host cities. We are responsible for everything from workforce planning, training, visa management, benefits, payroll, employee uniforms and just about every other aspect of human resources.

I have always had a keen interest in global political and business affairs, which is why I studied political science with an emphasis on international relations at UCF. Working for a governing body like FIFA in many respects is akin to working for the United Nations. ā€¦ In order to be a successful leader in a global organization like FIFA, it is critical to have an open mind to effectively collaborate, plan and execute the largest sporting event in human history. My education and experience at UCF as a leader in Student Government certainly laid the foundation and has helped prepare me for this opportunity.

Ryan Taheri ā€™24

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Role:Ģż°Ā“Ē°ł°ģ“Ś“Ē°ł³¦±šĢż“Ē±č±š°ł²¹³Ł¾±“Ē²Ō²õĢż³¾²¹²Ō²¹²µ±š°ł
FIFA site: Dallas

I grew up watching the World Cup with my family. Now, I occasionally stop for a second and realize how special it all is to be working behind the scenes on the operational side of the tournament. A big part of what I do in my role is coordinate with different functional areas like transportation, catering, accommodations, uniforms and venue operations to ensure the workforce is supported and operations run smoothly.

ā€œUCF pushed me into leadership opportunities early and taught me how to work in fast-paced environments with a lot of moving parts.ā€

A lot of the role comes down to staying organized, communicating clearly and solving problems quickly. UCF pushed me into leadership opportunities early and taught me how to work in fast-paced environments with a lot of moving parts. Looking back now, I donā€™t think I realized at the time how much of my experience at UCF directly prepared me for working on something as large and complex as aā€ÆFIFA ā€™26.

Alejandro Tarazona ā€™22

Bachelorā€™s in integrated business

Role:Ģż²Ń²¹²Ō²¹²µ±š°ł,Ģż°Õ°ł²¹¾±²Ō¾±²Ō²µĢż³§¾±³Ł±šĢż³Õ±š²Ō³Ü±šĢż°Õ°ł²¹²Ō²õ±č“Ē°ł³Ł
FIFA site: Miami

Iā€Æoversee transportation operations andā€Ælogisticsā€Æat all 75 training sites across U.S., Canada and Mexico ā€” including shuttles, loading zones, team busses and their fleets, and parking lots for media, volunteers and guests. I grew up in Lake Nona and had an opportunity to play collegiate soccer at a Division II school in Florida, but financially, it just didnā€™t make sense for my family and me. Instead I enrolled at Valencia College and earned my degree through the .

UCF gave me the technical skills I needed for my managerial position now, like creating financial analysis for labor rates across 16 stadiums thatā€Æweā€™llā€Æbe using in U.S., Canada and Mexico. As a former soccer player and as someoneā€Æwho isā€Æobsessed with the sport, working for one of the biggest and best sports organization in the world has been a lifelong goal.ā€ÆThis experience has taught me to consider redefining whatā€™s possible and keep setting goals.

Tomas Upegui ā€™22

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Role:Ģż¹ó±ō±š±š³ŁĢż“Ē±č±š°ł²¹³Ł¾±“Ē²Ō²õĢż²¹²Ō²¹±ō²ā²õ³Ł
FIFA site: Miami

Growing up playing soccer, being involved with FIFA in any capacity is something I never imagined would become reality, especially this early in my career. I am supporting transportation and depot operations across all 16 host cities, contributing to transportation operations involving VIPs and trophy movements. Studying business taught me how to work efficiently in fast-paced environments and quickly adapt while balancing multiple responsibilities at once, which directly translates to my role.

One of the most exciting parts of this experience has been realizing the true scale of the FIFA World Cup and seeing firsthand how much coordination happens behind the scenes to make an event of this magnitude successful.

A well-regarded civic leader who has helped propel Orlandoā€™s trajectory as the fastest major metro area in the United States, Martins has spent 30 of his nearly 40 years in professional sports management as part of the Orlando Magic organization. For his many years of dedicated service and leadership, Martins became the 14th person inducted to the NBA franchiseā€™s Hall of Fame.

The UCFĀ grad, who earned hisĀ masterā€™s in business administrationĀ in 2001,Ā joinsĀ the likes ofĀ fellow Hall of FamersĀ Shaquille Oā€™Neil, Anfernee ā€œPennyā€ Hardaway and Dwight Howard.

ā€œHis decades of work with the Orlando Magic and his continued investment in our university reflect the character and commitment that define UCF.ā€ ā€” UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright

ā€œChair MartinsĀ leads with humility,Ā generosityĢż²¹²Ō»å a deep sense of responsibility to this community,ā€ saysĀ UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. ā€œHis decades of work withĀ the Orlando Magic and his continued investment in our universityĀ reflect the character andĀ commitmentĀ thatĀ defineĀ UCF. As chair of our Board of Trustees, I see every day how deeply he believes in this institution and theĀ opportunitiesĀ weĀ create forĀ Central Florida. His induction into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame is a well-deserved recognition of a remarkable careerĢż²¹²Ō»åĀ all of us atĀ UCFĀ areĀ proud to celebrate this moment with him.ā€

Man of the Hour

MartinsĀ wasĀ inducted on Monday, MarchĀ 23,Ā atĀ Kia Center, near the Orlando Magic Fan Experience.

ā€œWe are excited to welcome Alex Martins into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame,ā€Ā saysĀ Orlando MagicĀ chairmanĀ DanĀ DeVos. ā€œHis innovative business acumen has transformed our organization, while working tirelessly to make the Magic an invested community partner. For his efforts that spanned three decades, this is truly a worthy recognition for Alex and his family, and we look forward to continuing to work with him in his role as vice chair.ā€

Ties that Bind

MartinsĀ was namedĀ Ā in 2021 andĀ alsoĀ serves on the deanā€™s executive council for theĀ . Martins served on the developmental board of the globally acclaimed Ā at UCF, which is funded through a $9 million endowment by Rich and Helen DeVos and awards dual masterā€™s degrees inĀ sport managementĢż²¹²Ō»å business administration. Under Martinsā€™ leadership, the Magic contributed $1.5 million to the construction ofĀ UCF DowntownĀ in 2015, the first major private donation for the campus.

HeĀ is a member of the College of Businessā€™ Hall of Fame and recipient of the universityā€™s Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Magic Career

MartinsĀ serves as vice chair ofĀ the OrlandoĀ Magic. In this position, he acts as a senior advisor to the Magic Board of Directors to advance long-term strategic initiatives and serve as a resource to Magic executives.

Martins also represents the Magic as the teamā€™s alternate governor to the NBA Board ofĀ Governors, andĀ oversees all operations of the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL and the Osceola Magic of the NBA G League.

Martins served as the Orlando Magicā€™sĀ CEOĀ for 14 seasons (2011-25). He has held various senior-level management capacities with the Magic between 1989-98 and upon his return to the organization in 2005, including director of media relations, executive vice president of marketing and franchise relations,Ā presidentĢż²¹²Ō»å chief operating officer.

During his tenure as CEO, theĀ Sports Business JournalĀ named the Magic as one of the ā€œBest Places to Work in Sports,ā€ the only franchise in the four major professional sports leagues to receive the recognitionĀ in 2024.

His effort and collaboration with local business and political leadersĀ helped toĀ secure the Kia Center as a sports and entertainment home, which opened in October 2010. The Kia Center was named theĀ Sports Business Journalā€™s Sports Facility of the Year in 2012.

Martins has also held senior executive positions with the New Orleans Hornets, the NFLā€™s Cleveland Browns and Tavistock Group. He started his career as a student assistant in theĀ Villanova sports information department,Ā assistedĀ in the Philadelphia 76ers public relations department and was also the assistant sports information director at Georgetown ŗ£½ĒÖ±²„.

Harold Mills, an Orlando entrepreneur who also has held executive positions in several companies, was unanimously chosen to continue serving as vice chair for two years. He was elected as the boardā€™s vice chair in February.

Martins oversees all operations of the Orlando Magic and has spent more than three decades in professional sports management. A well-regarded civic leader, he earned his MBA from UCF, where he is a member of the College of Businessā€™ Hall of Fame and recipient of the universityā€™s Distinguished Alumnus Award.

He serves on the deanā€™s executive council for the UCF College of Business. Martins served on the developmental board of the at UCF, which is funded through a $9 million endowment by Rich and Helen DeVos and awards dual masterā€™s degrees in sport management and business administration. Under Martinsā€™ leadership, the Magic contributed $1.5 million to the construction of UCF Downtown in 2015, the first major private donation for the campus.

ā€œI want to thank the board for their confidence and for the honor of serving as your chair for the next two years,ā€ Martins says. ā€œI look forward to working alongside you and working closely with President Cartwright and our faculty, staff and students to continue to help us become one of the great universities in this country.ā€

Martins has previously chaired a number of community organizations, including the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission and The Central Florida Partnership. Martins serves or has served on the boards of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Central Florida Commission on Homeless and the Governorā€™s Council of the Orlando Economic Partnership.

Mills is the CEO of VMD Ventures, which invests in entrepreneurs in technology and service industries. He joined the UCF Board of Trustees in 2019 and is the chair of the boardā€™s Finance and Facilities Committee.

He previously served as chairman and CEO of ZeroChaos, a global workforce management company that he built into a multi-billion-dollar company with operations in over 53 countries.

Mills serves on the boards of Guidewell and Florida Blue, Rollins College, Nemours Childrenā€™s Hospital, the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center and LIFT Orlando, among others. He is a past board member for Florida Council of 100, Florida A&M ŗ£½ĒÖ±²„, and the Jacksonville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and the former chairman of Florida Citrus Sports.

Mills earned a bachelorā€™s degree from Purdue ŗ£½ĒÖ±²„ and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

ā€œIā€™m excited to continue the great work of this university,ā€ Mills said. ā€œWeā€™re grateful to have President Cartwright and the rest of his team lead us on this journey celebrating the enormous achievements of this institution and pursuing its grand aspirations. Itā€™s rewarding and fulfilling work.ā€

Martins and Mills thanked current board Chair Beverly Seay for her service. Seay will remain a Board of Trustees member, focusing the remainder of her term on the board on academic excellence, student success and strengthening UCFā€™s partnerships with the simulation and defense industries.

President Alexander N. Cartwright praised Seay for her leadership and for helping to convince him to come to ā€œthis amazing place.ā€

Addressing Martins and Mills, Cartwright said, ā€œYou have both been incredibly active as trustees, engaged and helpful. Youā€™ve asked all the right questions, and you continue to push for what we are looking for, which is to become an exceptional institution. I look forward to working with you to make that happen as quickly as possible.ā€

The 13-member Board of Trustees consists of six members appointed by the governor and five appointed by the Board of Governors. The chair of the universityā€™s Faculty Senate and the president of UCF Student Government also are members.

I do not assess todayā€™s changes as better or worse, just different. Society changes, generations evolve, and higher education looks like something else than it did a quarter of a century ago.

My goal has always been the same, with one question: How do I challenge todayā€™s student to be prepared for a competitive and sometimes harsh world that lays people off and even fires employees for underperforming and/or not having an indispensable skill set that an organization values enough to keep one on at the job?

Here is a list of some things that we do in the sport business management minor program to hold our students accountable and hopefully prepare them to thrive for excellence in their future careers.

Reading. Fifty percent of students in higher education do not purchase required books for class, which is alarming. Further, the average American citizen reads up to only one book a year after graduating from college. The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places youā€™ll go. That is not taken from Dr. Seuss; however, it is the same message. Feeding your brain and applying the information that you read to life is key.

Show up on time, be present and ready to engage at a high level. We require that our students be on time at the start of class and after the break halfway through class. We do this so that our students build habits of being a professional. Personally, I learned this value not only in my home but at UCLA Coach John Woodenā€™s basketball camp many years ago in La Jolla, California. Wooden stressed being on time at the camp and to be quick, but do not hurry.

Detach and maximize social media. Social media has allowed all of us to connect with so much content and other humans across the globe. However, social media has also become a major distraction to focusing, quietly studying, and critically thinking about various social, political, educational, etc. issues in society. We require that students keep their phones put up during class and the result is that more human interaction takes place in courses and that our students build more high-quality relationships with their peers, get to know one another, and even know each otherā€™s first and last names in class. Our classrooms should be a place for community building after all, right?

Parental boundaries and respecting authority. We often have to remind students that due to FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) that we canā€™t speak with parents about their childrenā€™s academic issues. Of course, there are exceptions to speaking with parents, but what we most enjoy is when parents visit our classrooms and observe the great learning environment that our students help us create. We also mentor our students that being autonomous and solving as many challenges that they can on their own will help them navigate the real workplace that awaits them soon after graduation. This is a much better approach than going over a facultyā€™s rank and running to the deanā€™s office with parents calling because of falling short with grades or not managing expectations while at the university.

In the final analysis we have many stories of students that grew by allowing themselves to embrace the mentoring and coaching that our team of full-time and adjunct faculty passionately displays. Empowering students over the years with non-cognitive attributes has helped many of them succeed and all of our students can embrace the ā€œlittle thingsā€ that mean a lot. Body language, thank you notes to guest speakers that visit our classrooms, and dressing for success build habits that last a lifetime.

We in no way want to contribute to anxiety that students might have as we are empathetic about the realities of stress and mental health. Our goal is not to trigger but to enable our students to grow through accountability versus avoidance or entitlement. Go Knights!

Keith Harrison is a professor of business/hip-hop and sport in the UCF College of Business and the chief academic officer of the DeVos Sport Business Program. He can be reached at Carlton.Harrison@ucf.edu.

TheĀ UCF ForumĀ is a weekly series of opinion columns from faculty, staff and students who serve on a panel for a year. A new column is posted each Wednesday on UCF Today and then broadcast on WUCF-FM (89.9) between 7:50 and 8 a.m. Sunday. Opinions expressed are those of the columnists, and are not necessarily shared by the ŗ£½ĒÖ±²„.

Mike had an illustrious career in the sports industry as a senior executive with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Browns, Memphis Grizzlies, San Francisco 49ers and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was a longtime member of the executive committee of the National Sports Forum and had a law degree and a masterā€™s in sports management from Ohio ŗ£½ĒÖ±²„. As a marketer supreme, he generated income everywhere he worked. Distinguished all the way. He came to UCF in 2013 and served as director of external affairs and partnership relations for the DeVos Sport Business Management Program.

When Mike saw the position at the ŗ£½ĒÖ±²„ he told me he felt a need to ā€œgive backā€ and help the next generation create their paths to success. He especially liked the programā€™s emphasis on both business and service to the community. He was all in when we took students to post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans each August to rebuild homes in our Hope for Stanley Program. He mentored the students as they organized the 4.9K Rainbow CommUNITY Run on the first and second anniversaries of the PULSE Nightclub shooting. It benefitted the onePULSE Foundation and this year raised nearly $100,000.

In the two weeks after Mikeā€™s passing, I received more than 200 emails, texts and phone calls from alumni showing their affection for him and their gratitude to him for the contributions he made to their lives. Another 100 from industry friends. More than 125 DeVos students and alumni attended the celebration-of-life church service. Also, more than 100 friends flew in from out of town.

The students and alumni talked about his encouraging them, his sense of humor, straightforwardness, the fact that he pushed them to try harder, to not allow their vision of work to be confined to a region of the country. Each talked about the specific thing Mike did for them.

‘The students and alumni talked about his encouraging them, his sense of humor, straightforwardness, the fact that he pushed them to try harder.’

But almost all of them talked about watching Mike be a great father. We all had the blessing of being with his children, Sawyer and Jadyn, as they came to the office when they were not in school. Such amazing children.

They were the main reason Mike left the glamour of the industry and took a huge salary cut to work at UCF. He felt that his moving around was disruptive to his family life and particularly for his children. The combination of his wanting to give back to the next generation and setting up his family in one location for the long-term were the two factors that made the DeVos team the big winner. As the director of the program, I was blessed to work closely with Mike. The students all called him ā€œRed.ā€ Among his responsibilities was to organize our DeVos Speakers Series. For the first speaker who came after he passed, the room was a sea of red shirts as all the students wore red in his honor.

I talked to Mike every day we were in the office together and, without exaggeration, most of the conversation was about Jadyn and Sawyer. It was often talk about the now 11-year-old Sawyer at practice or a game. I do not normally enjoy listening to sports fans talking numbingly about sports statistics. But it was different when Mike talked about Sawyerā€˜s batting average or on-base percentage. He captured my imagination because I knew I was listening to a proud father talking about his boy. And Mike was his coach for several years.

I have a vivid memory of going with my wife, Ann, Mike and Jadyn to hear Sharon Robinson, the daughter of Jackie Robinson, speak at Rollins College shortly after meeting them. Jaydn was 11 at the time.Ā There were 700 people in the room and when the host called for questions there was silence after the brilliant presentation by Sharon, who is a longtime friend, as is her mother, Rachel.

To this day I cannot remember what she asked, but Jadyn stood up and asked an insightful question regarding race, sports and Jackie Robinson. For an 11-year-old to be the only person to have the courage to stand up and then deliver something so meaningful showed me who Jadyn was. She still impresses me each time I see her. Mike took Jaydn on one of the Hope for Stanley trips to New Orleans. I will always have a picture in my head of them working shoulder-to-shoulder rebuilding someoneā€™s home.

While losing Mike has been devastating to all of us at DeVos, we know that loss pales in comparison to the loss for his family. Mikeā€™s wife, Danielle, organized a viewing and a celebration-of-life church service. Ann and I were at the funeral home early and spent time with Danielle, Jadyn and Sawyer, who were understandably very broken up. Then after 15 minutes, eight boys Sawyerā€™s age came in. Most were wearing the team jersey as they were all teammates and friends with Sawyer. They sat in a row on the side of the room. Ann said it looked like they were in a dugout. The room changed with uplifted spirits. Once again, a slice of sport brought people together. Then a similar number of Jadynā€™s friends arrived, bringing out her beautiful smile.

I could not help but imagine Mike looking down on the room with his own brilliant smile. He always said Jadyn and Sawyer chose good friends.Ā  They were there for them that day and hopefully will give them strength in the future.

Mike loved life and living it to the fullest. But he loved his family and children the best.

Thatā€™s the premise of ā€œIs This Really a Thing?ā€ā€” a new podcast from UCF College of Business Dean Paul Jarley. The college’s first podcast launched today in the middle of Podcast Week and looks at a variety of current topics to determine if they are just hype or if they represent fundamental change that could alter how we do business.

ā€œAs a dean, itā€™s my job to think about what the college should look like five and 10 years from now and make sure we get there,ā€ says Jarley, who serves as the host for the interview-style podcast. ā€œThis is tough. As Bill Gates famously noted, people tend to overestimate the amount of change that will happen in the next two years and underestimate the amount of change that will happen in the next 10 years.ā€

The first three episodes debate whether eSports, ghosting in the workplace, and Bitcoin are really a thing.

Jarley doesnā€™t have to go far to find experts with something interesting to say about any of his topics.

ā€œWeā€™re big on engagement at the college, and the podcast gives us a new way to extend that culture of engagement to our alumni and community at large,ā€ Jarley says. ā€œMany episodes will feature UCF faculty, alums, board members and students.ā€

For eSports, he tapped UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Danny White, Richard Lapchick, director of the , and Ben Noel, executive director of the , UCFā€™s nationally renowned graduate video-gaming program. In the ghosting in the workplace episode, he talks to students, a career coach and a staffing-agency executive about job candidates who stop responding to employers that are trying to hire them. In Bitcoin, UCF economist Sean Snaith weighs in on the viability of the cryptocurrency and whether to include it in your portfolio.

And while the topics are serious, Jarley promises that the podcast will not be a typical classroom lecture.

ā€œWe hope to make you laugh a little along the way and leave you with a new way to think about the topic at hand,ā€ he says.

ā€œIs This Really a Thing?ā€ is available through iTunes, Google Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify or by visiting .

Exhausted but elated, the siblings and their business plan to grow their Florida-based tea company had just taken the top prize at UCFā€™s annual Joust New Venture Competition. The Joust is one of the premier events of the UCF College of Businessā€™s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership where students present their models for a viable business venture and compete to win money and other resources to pursue their venture. It is open to all UCF students and all types of venture proposals.

Before an audience of more than 400 students, entrepreneurs, faculty, alumni and members of the community Friday, Kyle and Bryon pitched their Yaupon Brothers Tea business to local executives who served as judges.

Moments after the winning announcement, Kyle and Bryon already had plans for their winnings, which include more than $50,000 in essential business services.

ā€œWe need to bring our production facility back to Florida,ā€ said Bryon, a 2009 UCF graduate with a degree in legal studies and an interest in plants.

Having their pitch down pat from years of explaining Yaupon tea to everyone they met did little to calm their nerves on stage.

ā€œWe were nervous,ā€ said Kyle, who is a student in the UCFā€™s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. ā€œItā€™s kind of intimidating,ā€ added Bryon, a 2009 graduate with a degree in legal studies. That is saying something considering both brothers work for one of the busiest public safety organizations on the East Coast as members of Volusia County Surf Rescue.

When theyā€™re not out rescuing swimmers or helping boaters, the brothers have been refining their tea growing and production business since 2012. A self-described plant nerd, Bryon noticed the Yaupon Holly seemed to be everywhere in Central Florida, even on UCFā€™s Rosen campus. A little research showed the Florida native plant was rich in anti-oxidants and North Americaā€™s only native caffeinated plant.

ā€œIt wasnā€™t being used in any drinks so I assumed it must taste awful,ā€ Bryon said, ā€œbut that wasnā€™t the case. It actually tasted really good.ā€

In 2013,Ā they became the first processor, handler and grower of Yaupon to earn USDA Organic Certification. They grow the Yaupon in Volusia County and then ship it to South Carolina for processing. With their winnings, they plan to move the production facility back to Florida.

ā€œWe perfected it over time and built a supply chain,ā€ Bryon said.

Their polished presentation and in-depth knowledge on the market and production cycle left an impression with the judges.

ā€œThe consensus seems to be this was the best Joust ever, so Yaupon Brothers really needed to know their stuff to edge out the competition,ā€ said Cameron Ford, director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at UCF. ā€œThis Joust was indisputably the yummiest. The judges enjoyed delicious fruit snacks served by Earthy Creations and washed those down with our winner’s innovative Yaupon Tea.ā€

Ford noted it was the first time a social venture, EsportsEDU, made the Joust finals and an education venture, Let’s C, inspired the crowd with their mission to teach English to students in Hong Kong.

ā€œToday’s contestants are prime examples of how creativity and tireless research create impact by introducing innovations that enrich society,ā€ Ford said. ā€œWe look forward to supporting their success and having them return to inspire future generations of entrepreneurial Knights.ā€

The Joust runner-up was James Kozachukā€™s pitch for EsportsEDU, competitive, community and academic programs aimed at high school youth who are passionate about video games. He took home $7,000. In the fall, Kozachukā€™s pitch took first place in UCFā€™s first Social Venture Competition.

Jasmine Yamini placed third and earned $4,000 with her Earthy Creations business, which offers juicy, nutrient-dense dried fruit snacks as a healthy alternative to candy fruit chews and dried fruit.

Letā€™s C: Learning English and the team of Mei Wang, Tze Fung Wong and Lauren Polson finished fourth with $2,000 for their online platform for real-time English language tutoring between tutors from English-speaking universities and students in Hong Kong.

In the Joust, studentsā€™ business plans are assessed by a panel of expert professionals representing corporate partners, area businesses and alumni.Ā  This yearā€™s judges included Sean Hayes, ā€™95, principal and VP, Business Development, Voloridge Investment Management; Scott Keith, Regional President, North & Central Region, BB&T; Laurette Koellner, ā€™77, former president, Boeing International; Terry McNew, ā€™86, president and CEO, MasterCraft; Barry Miller, ā€™95, President, Voloridge Investment Management; and Rick Walsh, ā€™77, president, The Knob Hill Companies. This yearā€™s presenting sponsors wereĀ Steven Felkowitz, ā€™79; DigiThinkIT, Inc.; Burr+Foreman; and Jim Balaschak, ā€™86 & ā€™92, and Debbie Balaschak,ā€™88. Additional sponsors include Anidea Engineering, Inc., BDO, Nperspective, LLC and William Hendrickson Consulting.

The Wharton Sports Business Academy is a program that provides an opportunity for talented rising high school juniors and seniors to study sports business leadership at the Wharton School of the ŗ£½ĒÖ±²„ of Pennsylvania. The program examines various academic disciplines as they apply to the sports industry with an overview of the business and legal aspects of various intercollegiate, Olympic and professional sports enterprises.

The workshops led by Harrison and Bukstein focus on sales and marketing, corporate partnerships, career and professional development, and innovation and analytics. This is the third year Harrison has been involved with the academy, and the second year for Bukstein.

“Scott and I enjoy teaching and learning from such a highly motivated group of aspiring sport business professionals. It is an honor to be a part of this exceptional program at the Wharton School.” said Harrison.

Sixty-five students and administrators from the program traveled to the Crescent City this summer to help rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward through the non-profit organization Hope For Stanley Alliance (created by alumni of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program) and in partnership with the St. Bernard Project. During the trip, the group toured the city, including where the levees broke, and worked throughout their orientation week on three different homes.

View students’ tweets, posts and photos from their trip to New Orleans.

ā€œEven though years have passed and the city of New Orleans has been somewhat improved, thereā€™s still a lot of work to do. This community is very strong and full of faith. Having the opportunity to be part of a program that brings hope to other people and being able to help them rebuild their homes is an amazing thing. There are not many feelings that compare to the one you get by being an essential piece of someone elseā€™s future and Iā€™m very grateful I got to experience it with my DeVos family,ā€ said Stephanie Rivera Casiano, DeVos Class of 2014.

Students from the program have volunteered to help the city rebuild since 2006. The New Orleans City Council passed a proclamation commending the work done by the Hope For Stanley Alliance, which it previously cited as the most active external group helping New Orleans in the recovery. As director of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program, Richard Lapchick was named an honorary citizen of New Orleans in 2007. A group from the program plans to go back to continue their efforts in December. For more information on the , please visit their website.