2022 Grand View University alumnus Camden Blowers has begun to make her mark in the professional sports industry. During her time at GVU, Blowers served as Editor-in-Chief for Viewfinder. Blowers was a student athlete as well. She played on GVU’s women’s volleyball team for four years while studying Communication and Media Practice with a Sport Management minor.
“I think it was eye opening, if I could pinpoint one word, but also transformational from a personal standpoint,” Blowers said.
Blowers’ involvement in extracurricular activities like Viewfinder influenced her time management skills.
“It was great. I had great teammates and great supporters, in even different sports as well. Of course it was difficult, but it was something I had to learn to balance,” Blowers said.
She also emphasized her experience as a student athlete and how she juggled the travel for matches and commitments to other teams.
“With work and playing volleyball, we would go on the road, and I would have an assignment due that night, so it was really making sure I got it done beforehand. It helped me to manage my stress and focus on the task at hand which was playing the game,” Blowers said.
During her time as an undergraduate, Blowers also worked closely with many sports teams on campus, including the GVU football team. Blowers always had a pull towards football. She has always loved the camaraderie that accompanies the culture of football. The amount of widespread coverage the sport gets, with fans lining up to tailgate at sunrise, and the love that exudes from the fans and previous players is what caught Blowers’ attention from an early age. An athlete herself, Blowers was able to use traits like determination, perseverance, and tenacity gained through athletics to push her through her academics.
“I knew I wanted to be in Communications. That’s why I joined Viewfinder. I tried to be involved in the department in any way I could. It helped me to meet the different personalities that you will run into in the corporate world but with that sports aspect,” Blowers said.
Through her time and involvement at GVU, Blowers worked towards her passions to get the best of both worlds once she got into the work-force.
“Seeing the different sides of football through that communications lens, I knew that I wanted to work in sports while keeping that media relations route,” Blowers said.
As a recent graduate in the corporate sports world, Blowers has spent her newly graduated time working for the Kansas City Chiefs working on Community Activation as a Seasonal Assistant. Blowers must rely on tactics learned through her time as a Communications major as well as the things learned in the field.
“To be a good editor and to be a good interviewer, you have to learn how to talk to people. It allowed me to explore who I was as a person and make those connections,” Blowers said.
Learning who you are is the essence of the college experience, and the only way to truly figure it out is by getting involved. Whether that is through athletics or extra-curriculars or both, setting afoot in either realm can advance our networking skills, but also help us to narrow down what we want out of life and the people around us. Blowers used that time to her advantage, since she knew she wanted to be in the Professional Sports Communication field. She knew that networking and communication were the steppingstones to get her there.
“Being involved in sports in college, but also out of college, I worked for the Iowa Barnstormers, the indoor football league in Des Moines, I worked for the Iowa Wolves a basketball team there as well, and the Iowa Cubs baseball team,” Blowers said.
“I think being able to see the different avenues of college sports like GVU football and GVU volleyball and those minor league sports really taught me how to navigate the corporate world. Those relationships that get built but also what to expect once you enter,” Blowers said.
Using what she gathered from being a student athlete and having experience with the minor leagues helped Blowers navigate success in professional sports. Though Blowers’ current position is seasonal, she does have the opportunity of going on full time in Community Outreach for the Kansas City Chiefs.
