After Ursinus

Jill Falduto '18
Jill Falduto ’18

Jill Falduto

Director, Marketing at Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium

When I began my college search, I knew only one thing: I wanted to do gymnastics. Coming from a large high school, I awed over big state schools and didn’t see any drawbacks to attending class alongside thousands of others or my professors not knowing me by name. After talking briefly with the Ursinus gymnastics coach, my parents urged me to take a campus tour. Admittedly, I was not optimistic about the visit. A school with under 2000 students certainly didn’t meet my vision for college, but I was limited by schools that offered me the opportunity to do gymnastics, so I went along with it. After my tour of Ursinus, my mindset completely shifted. The admissions staff was so kind I felt immediately welcome, and seeing students interact in class, in the dining hall, and around campus, I felt an overwhelming sense of community. After an overnight with the gymnastics team and a few more visits, I ultimately decided Ursinus was home for me.

My first two years at Ursinus consisted of lots of gymnastics, but after an injury at the beginning of my sophomore season, I took a backseat and became the team manager. I also took part in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and of course, supported my friends across all sports at Ursinus. These small-scale experiences in sports sparked a desire to turn my favorite hobby into a career, and I began talking to my professors about opportunities in sports business.

Given Ursinus’ intimidate class environments and my personal relationships with my professors, the Business and Economics department gave me all the tools I needed to continue my major with a focus on the topics that excited me. I completed projects on everything from the salary cap in Major League Baseball to the NFL Combine’s ability to identify the best running backs, all while furthering my research, presentation, writing, and analytical skills. To couple everything I was doing in Business and Economics, I picked up a statistics minor, so I could better understand the numbers I was faced with in my projects.

Aside from gymnastics and classes, I took on a huge role in student government, and held positions in Relay for Life and Mini-THON. As a sophomore, I began working as an Admissions Tour Guide, which not only let me share my love for Ursinus with others, but also gave me invaluable communication and public speaking skills – something I find myself calling on every day. I was also a business and economics tutor and worked for the U-Imagine Center. With the U-Imagine Center, I assisted a real Collegeville business with marketing and social media (Main Street Nutrition – check it out!). All these positions helped me gain and develop professional skills that are instrumental to my career after UC. Additionally, I dove deep into the financials of major companies as a Finance Scholar, competed in a national data competition, and attended networking and professional events courtesy of my professors such as College Night at the Philadelphia Phillies and a sports business analytics conference. For my ILE – a vital graduation requirement – I interned at an independent baseball team, which was a small but unforgettable start to what I call my “internship world tour”, which also included the Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Flyers.

I graduated from Ursinus in December of 2018, and now, I am a Director, Marketing at Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium for the Miami Dolphins. I use data, strategy, and research to evaluate and identify revenue and fan experience opportunities for the Dolphins, the Miami Open, concerts, soccer matches, and all other Hard Rock Stadium events. I work across all departments – to name a few: ticketing, merchandise, food and beverage, sponsorship – and am constantly tasked with difficult, but exciting projects. Each day, I tap into everything I gained from Ursinus. From the email writing tips, I learned in Research Methods, to the creativity I learned from the U-Imagine Center, there is no way I could be doing what I’m doing without my Ursinus education.

I heard Ursinus was one of the “colleges that changes lives”, but I didn’t understand how true that was until now. The relationships I built with my teammates, classmates, and professors at Ursinus are irreplaceable, and I felt supported by the Ursinus community with every step that I took. If I could go back, I wouldn’t change a thing – except maybe try to limit my cookie consumption in Wismer!

Major(s)

Business and Economics

Minor(s)

Statistics