Our Alumni Spotlight series will be an ongoing feature, highlighting former student-athletes and catching up on where their journeys have taken them after graduation. Mikayla Coombs, former Georgia Women’s Basketball student-athlete, graduated in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management and Policy and a master’s degree in Sport Management and Policy in 2022.
Can you tell us about your current career and what you’re doing now?
I am currently an assistant director of development for the Georgia Bulldog Club. When I graduated I went into development with the University of Georgia and fell in love with fundraising and connecting donors to their passions. After being on the university side for a year and a half, I joined the Georgia Bulldog Club. It has been such a special experience working for the same athletic department that poured into me.
How did your experience as a student-athlete prepare you for your professional career?
The two biggest things that carried over the most from my time as a student athlete are time management and work ethic. As a student-athlete there was so much to do between classes, meetings, practice, lifts, etc. that you had to find a way to get everything done within the holes in your schedule. That has helped me so much in my professional career of establishing a balance. As a student-athlete you are tasked with giving 110% in everything you do. I try to have that same drive in my career.
What was the most important lesson you learned from balancing academics, athletics, and personal life during college?
Time management and be where your feet are. My coach always used to tell us we have to buy into whatever we are doing at that moment which is what the phrase “be where your feet are” embodies. Sometimes it is impossible to be great at everything all at once, so be the best you can be at one thing at a time.
What is one thing you wish you had known about life after sports before you graduated?
Between my parents and Georgia, I felt very prepared. I think the biggest thing is just dealing with the challenges of life. The expression “life be lifing” is very real lol!
Looking back, what advice would you give to current student-athletes who are trying to navigate life after college and sport?
The biggest piece of advice I could give would be to use all of your resources and maintain those strong relationships you had in college. Without The Georgia Way and my relationship with Leigh, I truly do not know what my job search would have looked like. We have all the resources in front of us, and I think it is important to use them!
When you think about your time as a Bulldog, what is one moment that stands out the most?
This is a tough question because there are so many great memories that stand out. One of my most memorable basketball seasons would have to be the COVID year. Even though everything was crazy that year, we had such a great team with unbelievable chemistry. We fell short in the SEC championship, but I will never forget the run we made and how we rallied around each other in crazy times.
