Sports media student Tylar Norman wins first award from Taylor Maggiore Fund

Tylar Norman, a senior graduating in May 2021, will receive the first $1,000 award from the Taylor Maggiore Fund at the University of Georgia. Available to students enrolled in the sports media undergraduate certificate program, the fund helps promote the advancement of women in the sports media industry.

A panel of alumni and faculty members selected Norman for her work with organizations on and off-campus and her passion for encouraging women in sports media, especially women of color.

“I hope to one day start my own mentorship organization for women in the sports media field,” she wrote in her application, “to ensure that we are all uplifting each other and increasing the inclusion of women in this field.”

The current president of UGA’s chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, Norman has worked as a communications intern with the Atlanta Dream and in media relations for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

“The Grady Sports Media program has been the steppingstone to the real-world experience that I’ve had,” Norman said.

After graduation, she plans to look for opportunities that lead to her goal of one day becoming a social media producer in the NBA.

Norman, a journalism major with minors in Spanish and sport management, has assisted in the production of Grady Newsource as a technical manager. She also runs her own freelance photography business.

“Through all the experiences she has sought and excelled at during her college years, Tylar already is making her mark in sports media,” said Vicki Michaelis, John Huland Carmical Chair in Sports Journalism & Society. “I have no doubt she is and will be a role model for others who want to work in this industry. We’re thrilled for Tylar, and we’re so grateful to Taylor for paying it forward in this way.”

Taylor Maggiore, who graduated in December 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a sports media certificate, began work last January as a stage manager for ESPN in Bristol, Conn. She established the fund within months of graduating to help students “with living accommodations during an internship, books, business casual and professional wardrobe, interview, equipment, or anything else that is needed.”

To read more about the Taylor Maggiore Fund, check out this story.