Sherrina Lofton
McKnight Doctoral Fellow
Sport Management

I’m pursuing a doctorate in Sport Management because I have a passion for helping Black male and female athletes reach their full potential both on and off the field/court. I thought to myself, this had to be done and I have to be the one to do it. With my experience both as an athlete and someone who has worked around athletes for quite some time, I can see the gaps and I will work hard to close them. My research will help programs geared towards helping college and professional athletes succeed throughout their lives. It will give teams or organizations such as the NCAA, NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL data on the best or more appropriate ways to implement programming or services to help their athletes once they leave sports for their next career.

Being a McKnight Fellow is one of THE BEST experiences ever. It’s a family that is committed to seeing graduate students thrive and survive this process we call a doctoral degree. It’s an endless network as everyone in academia knows one another and I will be able to get a job anywhere in the nation, not to mention the financial support they provide. As someone who wants to own her own business and work at an HBCU later in life, McKnight has given me great examples and role models of people who do both very well.