Brett Botta ('13)
Director, Dean E. Smith Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
For alumnus Brett Botta, the relationships he built while at Union have transformed his life and 海角乱伦社区. Botta graduated from Union in 2013 with a degree in sport management (marketing emphasis) and is now the director of the Dean E. Smith Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be anywhere near where I am today without my time at Union,鈥� Botta said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not only the coursework and learning, but what I credit so much of it to is the relationships built while at Union, both with professors and with other students at the time.鈥�
In his role at UNC, Botta manages the day-to-day and event operations of the Smith Center Complex, which includes the basketball arena, a pool, a media and communication center and the Carolina Basketball Museum.
Growing up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Botta always loved sports. His dad was a basketball coach, and Botta was one of four boys who were always playing sports. When his family moved to Jackson after he graduated from high school, Botta had already planned to attend another university, but during his summer in Jackson he made several friends who were heading to Union in the fall.
After spending his freshman year at that university, Botta felt he was being called back to Union. He knew the university had a sport management program, which was a way to combine both his lifelong love of sports and his strengths in organization and planning. He transferred to Union for his sophomore year.
鈥淏eing on a smaller campus compared to other schools, in addition to the close-knit community, I had the ability to work in athletics while I was learning these things in the classroom,鈥� Botta said. 鈥淭hat hands-on experience, combined with the theory in the classroom, was great.鈥�
Botta said he still keeps in touch with his influential Union professors like Matt Brunet, associate professor of sport management and assistant softball coach, and Julie Powell, professor of sport management. He is thankful for the time they took to invest in him, as well as the phone calls they made and letters of recommendation they wrote as he moved on to graduate school and his 海角乱伦社区.
鈥淯nion鈥檚 professors are just incredible,鈥� Botta said. 鈥淭hey aren鈥檛 just there to teach you for 50 minutes of class. They truly want to build relationships and get to know you. In doing that, they help prepare you to go out into the workforce and succeed, but even more importantly, to live out a life on mission for the Lord.鈥�
After graduating from Union, Botta gained a Master of Exercise and Sport Science from UNC and then returned to Union to work as the director of wellness services and campus recreation for a little over a year. Botta then returned to UNC to start a position as assistant director of athletic event management, and was promoted to his current role a year ago.
鈥淐ollege is such a transformational time,鈥� Botta said. 鈥淔our years flies by, but then you look back and see how you鈥檝e grown and changed significantly over those years.鈥�
Though Botta grew up in a Christian home, he said that his relationships with professors and staff at Union who took time to invest in him helped mature and build him up in his faith.
鈥淚f you want to go to a place where you will build lifelong, meaningful relationships with not only other students, but also with faculty and staff that really care and will invest in you, Union is the place for you,鈥� he said.
Botta and his wife, Zoe (鈥�16), have been married for two years and live in Durham, North Carolina, with their new puppy, Sadie.