Lėja Jakštaitė, a senior at LCC International University is a marketing manager for the LCC Moose Basketball team. What was initially just a practicum position turned out to be a new passion and a possible career choice. This spring, Lėja’s efforts to promote the games and keep fans updated about the teams’ achievements led to her receiving the ‘Best Managing’ award out of all the universities in the Lithuanian Student Basketball League (LSKL).

How did you become a marketing manager for the LCC Moose basketball team?
The team needed a person who would be able to speak and understand both Lithuanian and English as well as understand how basketball works. At that time I was actually looking for Communication practicum opportunities and I thought, this is almost like a sign for me to take this chance, so I agreed.

What are your responsibilities as a marketing manager of the basketball team?
Some of the responsibilities include keeping social media up to date, creating events, promoting basketball games, posting updates, and making sure that all of it is consistent. Sometimes there are things that come up that I had never done before but had to learn to do, which makes this position one of a continuous learning. Recently, I was asked to create promotional brochures for the children’s summer basketball camp. I had no experience with designing brochures, but eventually I figured it out and got it done.

What would you say to a student who is interested in Communication practicum as a marketing manager with Moose basketball team?
I would say that their communication skills are going to improve because they will be put into different settings where unexpected things will come up, and they will need to learn to react and adjust quickly. The position also provides ample opportunities to learn how to receive and give feedback.

How involved is the basketball team in promotions and marketing decision making?
As of right now, the coach and I take care of everything, but the basketball players are quite involved. For example, each week one basketball player is responsible for posting stories on Instagram; a strategy that has received positive feedback. As a team we also do community service. I was actually contacted by a student at LCC who did a fundraiser for children with disabilities and she asked me whether the basketball team would like to do community service there. The guys are usually excited to participate in community service, they like getting out in the city and helping others in one way or another. This is a chance for all of us to grow individually and see how others live as well.

Recently, you have received a ‘Best Managing’ award. Can you tell us more about it?
Technically this award was given to Marius, the head coach of the LCC Moose Basketball and the whole team for having the best management out of the 11 student universities in the LSKL (Lithuanian Student Basketball League). We found out that LCC was nominated for the ‘Best Managing’ award and Marius told everyone that it was because of me and my work. While I greatly appreciate it, I cannot take all the credit because if it was not for the coach’s guidance and the efforts of the players, we would not have received the award. It was a team effort.