It’s crazy to think about it now, but there’s just a year remaining in my collegiate running career, and potentially my time as a full-time athlete. Trust me, I’ve already had my fair share of existential crises. Where will I compete next year? Will I keep training hard after college? Do I take a break from the running workouts and maybe start hitting the gym instead? (If you regularly lift with me, you see how pathetic my chin ups are. Maybe one day I can finish just one of them). However, the one thing I’m not so worried about? Leaving sports behind entirely.

You see it all the time with professional athletes. They hang up the cleats and take a seat on the sidelines, still contributing to the sport in some way. Sue Bird retired from basketball last year but still helms “TOGETHXR,” a media company dedicated to highlighting women’s sports. Tom Brady’s hopping onto Fox Sports to be their head NFL analyst once he retires for real. Former running superstars such as marathoner Shalane Flanagan give back to the sport by coaching powerhouse programs. While I am far and away from ever becoming a professional athlete, it’s reassuring to know I can always be present within the medium.

I’ve already gotten started with this here at Fordham with WFUV, the radio station in the basement of Keating Hall. I started out there with a newsroom experience class, and soon enough my student athlete connection got me involved with the sports department. At first, I was super nervous about the time commitment and whether I knew enough about professional sports to make valuable contributions, but I decided to try it out anyway.

I often say that, besides running, joining WFUV was the best decision I made since arriving at Fordham. I entered freshman year thinking I wanted to go into print journalism and hard news. I’m approaching graduation wanting nothing more than a career in sports journalism.

Working for the sports radio has made me appreciate sports even more than I thought possible. There’s so many stories to tell aside from my own, and I find inspiration in all of these athletes’ journeys. Whether I’m hopping on our sports call-in show “One on One,” conducting interviews with prominent figures in the industry or recording a new episode of our women’s sports podcast “All In,” I learn something new nearly every single day about athletics. It helps that I have some of my best friends in the entire world sitting in the booth next to me.

I can’t talk about my time at WFUV without talking about the importance of women in the sports industry. I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but it’s clear women are often pushed to the side when it comes to sports talk. (Just take a look at the comment section under the latest results of a women’s basketball game. I purposely don’t look anymore.) Men often don’t recognize the feats of both female athletes or sportscasters. We’re deemed slower, not knowing every single random stat or just not understanding the game. As a student athlete myself, I’d argue that I know the game from experiencing it firsthand. I faced judgment anyway. It made me feel small — something I refuse to feel again. Through WFUV, I’ve learned that I can play a part in changing these outdated, misogynistic outlooks.

Just this week, we recorded our second annual All Women “One on One.” This year, I played a part in creating “All In,” which is the station’s first podcast solely dedicated to covering women’s sports. It feels amazing to talk about the sports I love with some of the most incredible women I’ve ever met. Through my experiences, I have the potential to provide a platform for women who come after me.

I still don’t exactly know what’s coming next for me. But I’m excited to see what’s next.