With Creative Con '22 right around the corner, let’s meet some of our presenters!

Next up is Monique Bowman, the director of digital and social media for the Big Ten Conference. Bowman will be speaking on resumes, social media strategy and career readiness on April 14 at Creative Con. Register here.

What are you most looking forward to about Creative Con?
 I'm most looking forward to interacting with students again, even through Zoom. I love my job with the Big Ten Conference office, but I do miss working with students on a daily basis. You all have such a hunger and energy that's motivating for me.

What made you want to pursue your career? 
Sports have always been a part of my life and it seemed so fun. It started with a post-church Dairy Queen stop, followed by watching football on Sundays. In high school, a foot injury sidelined me two years in a row so I did our girls basketball stat book, which was the catalyst into me working in sports information in undergrad. It just snowballed from there and no matter what non-sports job I took, I always came back to my professional first love.

What is some advice you would give to students looking to get into the sports creative field?
Network with sincerity. Don't try to connect with people just because you want a job, but connect with them to see if they're like-minded to you. You have access to people through digital means (LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram) so take advantage of those opportunities by following and drawing inspiration from them. Another piece of advice is to manage your own brand reputation as you would the brand reputation you're working for (or want to work for). Social media is not your diary.

Anything else you would like to add? 
I am looking forward to CreativeCon!