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Washington State University
College of Education

Getting to Know You: Madeline Burger

Madeline Burger – Sport Management

Minors: Business & Communication

Hometown: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

What inspired you to pursue your degree?
In high school, I moved to Vietnam and I entered a new culture that was nothing like America. Women’s athletics was not supported and female athletes were looked down upon. Some of my friends had to hide their participation in sports from their parents. There are so many benefits to sports and I believe everyone should be given the opportunity to participate if they choose. I chose sport management, so I could go abroad and create the same opportunities I had as a kid for young women in other countries who have yet to see the value.

Who, or what, influenced your decision to pursue this degree?
Kevin Fox was the General Manager of a club team I played for in Vietnam. He started Fox Football from the ground up and has made it into a very successful business. When I first came to Vietnam he allowed me to play on his men’s teams, so I could continue to play soccer. When I first joined the club, they did not have enough woman to make an all-girls team. He helped me recruit more women to the sport and my senior year we had established the first all-girls team at Fox Football. Kevin inspired me to want to build my own organization and create the same opportunities for athletes like he gave to me.

Was pursuing this degree always your plan?
I did not know sport management existed until it was recommended to me at a college fair by a representative from another college. It aligned perfectly with what I wanted to accomplish in my career and I have never faltered from it since.

Have you had any experience in this area, such as an internship?
I have chosen to complete my internships for my major abroad. I got to go back and work as an intern under Kevin Fox, which was an amazing experience. And I also got to work at Saigon South International School, where I went to high school with the middle school PE department.

 


Favorites:

Sport: Soccer
Book: Throne of Glass
Quote: Rattle the Stars (from Throne of Glass)
Place to Study: Either The Spark or the CUB. I can’t study in complete silence, I have to have some noise.