Nadia Witt, a first-year MBA student at the A. Gary Anderson School of Management (AGSM), wants to make an impact through sports. As a Highlander, Witt is heavily engaged with UCR athletics, serving as the softball team captain. She credits softball for crucial life lessons and was a catalyst for moving to California from her home state of Oregon.

“Growing up, I always loved the thought of living in California, and softball gave me an opportunity to take advantage of that. Where I’m from, there are not a lot of minority individuals in general, and not everyone gets to play D1 softball,” says Witt, who came to UCR to play softball as an undergrad, and earned a bachelor’s in ethnic studies in 2022. “Softball has shaped almost everything for me; it’s made me into the person I am today.”

She is cognizant of her leadership roles, she says. “I’m only the second person in my family to get a bachelor’s degree. And, I’m a woman of color working to be an example for other students who look like me or are trying to do similar things, considering not a lot of Black women play softball.”

In the future, Witt would love to work in sports, combining her love for athletics with her knowledge in both ethnic studies and management. “Ideally, I’d like to stay in the sports world, I don’t know exactly what that looks like yet, but I’d love to be a sports agent or a director of operations, working with athletes in a business role.”

Witt chose to earn an MBA as she believes it will open up career options for her. However, she also hopes to put her education to work, as she wants the world of sports to be more inclusive and accepting. “I found ethnic studies so interesting and useful, as I’ll be able to apply it to the workforce being an advocate for minority populations. I’ll share what I know and provide support for minority populations, especially women of color.”