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Following commencement on Friday, UTampa grads will go on to careers in industries from sport management to cybersecurity to the entertainment industry.

Georgia Mills, a sport management major, will be a business development representative for VSG Academy.

The position is part of a comprehensive sales/inside-sales training program run by Vinik Sports Group, the company that manages the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In her role, she will be a part of the team responsible for selling season tickets, group tickets, premium event night rentals and group party areas, as well as tickets to concerts and events at both Benchmark International Arena and the Yuengling Center.

Her typical day-to-day will include outbound calls, follow-ups and appointment setting. She also will be working all Tampa Bay Lightning home games, where she will be networking with fans, hosting prospects and being present at in-game sales tables. 

“I did not know until my senior year what my ‘dream job’ looked like, or that I even wanted to work in sales,” Mills said.

By checking job posting websites daily, she was able to learn more about various jobs within the sports industry, and ultimately, decided to pursue sales.

“It’s OK to not know what you want to do, but actively putting forth effort to learn about opportunities that are out there is essential for formulating what your career could look like,” she said.

Mills added that the sport management department’s emphasis on learning how to interview prepared her to walk into a room with executives. She learned how to highlight her accomplishments and exude confidence, which she said “helped immensely” during her interview process.

Aiden Maciel, an entrepreneurship major, will join ReliaQuest, a cybersecurity company based in Tampa, as a business development representative.

The role entails reaching out to different companies and making interest appointments to meet with the company’s account executives to learn more about the services they provide.

Two musical theatre students will be hitting the high seas in their new roles.

Ben Sutherland will be embarking on a journey on Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Star of the Seas. He will play the role of George McFly in Back to the Future: The Musical.

“George has been a dream role of mine for a long time, and this is a dream job,” Sutherland said.

As musical theatre majors, students are required to perform in senior showcases the year they plan on graduating. Sutherland said his landing the role dates back to last year’s showcase, where he was an usher.

He ended up talking to casting agents, one being the remote casting agent for Royal Caribbean, based in Florida.

“I said to her, ‘Hey, I heard you guys are doing ‘Back to the Future.’ I also bothered her to the point of doing my George McFly voice for her. It worked out, though, because she gave me her card and said, ‘next time we need a George, I’ll get you an appointment,’” Sutherland said.

In September, he flew to New York, auditioned on a Tuesday, got a callback on Friday, and a few weeks later found out he got the part. 

He begins rehearsals in February, then gets onboard in March, where he will perform for about a year.

Keagan Kantor will be working as an entertainment stage technician aboard Celebrity Cruise Line’s ship, the Celebrity Eclipse.

He said landing this position took persistence — he spent the summer submitting applications.

Before coming to UTampa, Kantor thought performing was his passion. However, after working with Alex Amyot, the former technical director, he discovered new possibilities. Amyot offered him his first position at the Falk Theatre on campus as a technician.

“That experience completely shifted my trajectory and opened the door to the career I’m pursuing now,” Kantor said.

“I’m incredibly excited for this next chapter and travelling the world and doing what I love every day. It truly feels like a dream come true.”

The University of Tampa’s 161st commencement will take place on Friday, Dec. 12, at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

Commencement can be livestreamed by visiting utampa.edu/commencementlive.