Alumni Profiles

B.S., Sport Management with a Concentration in Business, 2009

Master’s in Sports Administration candidate

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL

Michael Costa of Lynchburg, Va., sums up his Guilford College years neatly: “I read and enjoyed things I never thought I’d know about, and I talked about issues I never thought I’d talk about.” And then, the biggest surprise of all to Michael: “I came to enjoy learning.” 

Back on campus for a brief visit before heading to graduate school at FSU, Michael is quite open about how he felt about going to Guilford College as he was finishing high school: “I intended to put in my four years and be done with it. But after I got here, something happened. I came to appreciate the value of continuing with my education, and I even came to enjoy it.” He reflects for a moment, then adds: “I know why it happened. At Guilford, in every class, they not only listen to your responses, but also they ask why you feel the way you do. And they care about the answers! It’s just amazing.” 

He says that he found Guilford College and visited on his own, with no official tour and no time with the baseball coach, but that as soon as he was on the campus, “Everything seemed right.” He loved the area; he liked the way it all felt. After he enrolled and moved in, he had a mild shock: “My first days on campus were an eye-opener. I looked out my window and I saw kids with pink hair fighting each other with foam swords. Now, I had come from more of an inner city background, and this was definitely a different culture for me. More liberal, more diverse.” 

That very diversity became increasingly appealing to Michael: “The openness, the differences I encountered here made the whole experience great. I wasn’t seeing the same people every day — that is, I wasn’t seeing people who all were like me. And I learned from everyone I came into contact with.” 

Quakerism and Quaker traditions were new to him, as well: “I had no clue about Quakers, but over time I began to understand their values. It helps that everything at the college operates along the lines of Quaker traditions — whenever there were tensions, it was all worked out with mutual respect. Also, because of the Quaker values, I began to pay more attention to things in the news.” 

Early in his days at Guilford, Michael had important experiences: “My advising professor helped me get an internship that was defining — I interned my freshman year with the Greensboro Grasshoppers [a Class A affiliate of the Florida Marlins professional baseball team], and I learned that I didn’t want to work in baseball anymore.” 

He learned from that internship that his high school passion, his college passion, his life’s quest — baseball — was not what he wanted to do with his life. “It was the summer after my freshman year — at the age of 18, I learned that baseball was not the career I wanted for my life. That was big. I mean, I do keep in contact with the Grasshopper people, I’ve even worked some game nights, but professional baseball is not the answer.” 

Keep in mind that Michael played baseball, as both infielder and as pitcher, all four of his years at Guilford College. He was a four-time Academic Old Dominion Athletic Conference selection, and he was the team captain his senior year. He still loves baseball, but not in the same way. “The summer after my sophomore year, I went home and reevaluated my time at Guilford College. I realized that baseball meant less to me than the people there did — the professors, the coaches, all my team members. That was a real revelation, and a valuable one” 

Michael has always loved college athletics, and he definitely wants to have a career in that arena. “I want to become a Division I athletic director.” That’s it, that’s the prize he has his eye on. “After I earn a master’s degree, I hope to get a job in a conference office or at a Division I school. Maybe go on to get a doctorate, but definitely work toward being an athletic director.” 

How did he choose graduate studies at Florida State University? “My Guilford College adviser helped me every step of the way. Even after I selected FSU, he made calls for me and wrote letters of recommendation. That really helped. Also, I had done an internship at the Atlantic Coast Conference [as a Football Game Day Operations Center intern], and my supervisor went through the FSU program himself. He recommended it to me, and then he called the university on my behalf— I got accepted within two days of the call. He also helped me get a teaching assistantship.” 

He also finds it appealing that the state of Florida has many schools with opportunities for someone like him. He hopes that the FSU athletic department will get him involved in local schools’ athletics programs while he’s doing graduate work. 

Finally, Michael chose FSU because, as he puts it, “It’s a completely new place, it’s huge, I don’t know anyone — and all that means it will be a totally different experience for me. I’m always seeking new experiences.” 

It certainly will be different from Guilford College. “I think that Guilford gave me the best of two worlds — you get a small college atmosphere, but you’re not in a small town. It’s really great to walk across campus and realize that you know everyone you pass on the sidewalk. That’s awesome.” 

Michael sums up his Guilford College times this way: “Of course there were challenges, but even if it was a bumpy ride at times, it was the best ride ever. It definitely was worth the money, the effort, the time and energy — I got the best education ever, both in and out of the classroom. And I really feel that way. At Guilford, you definitely are not a number; you really are someone who matters.”