Amalya Lewinson ’17 has always had a clear idea of what she wanted to do. An accomplished high school basketball player, Lewinson stepped onto the Rice University campus her freshman year knowing that she wanted sports to play a substantial part in her professional life. She was also acutely aware that she was interested in human resources. With a rapidly growing sport management major and an expansive psychology major, Rice University marked the perfect place for Lewinson to grow in every facet.
“Rice and the sport management department prepared me tremendously for success during my college career and continues to do so,” Lewinson said. “The diverse curriculum of the sport management major and the general Rice undergraduate degree allows its students to attain a holistic education and set of skills.”
As a sophomore, Lewinson began her human resources career with her hometown basketball team, the San Antonio Spurs. She impressed them so much in her first summer stint with the team as a human resources intern that they brought her back that winter, and then again the next summer.
“The Spurs threw me in the fire by welcoming me to a variety of areas and showing me how a people first organization operates,” Lewinson said.
Surrounding Lewinson’s experiences with the Spurs were adventures of different shapes and sizes. At various points in her four years at Rice, she dabbled in college sports, football, and the Olympics. Every opportunity shaped her character and the way she worked, building a resume that helped her land a coveted and highly competitive post-graduate internship with Major League Baseball in its human resources department.
With her expansive background in human resources, it did not take long before a company swooped in and made an offer. Just a month after her work with MLB concluded, Lewinson had agreed to terms with Wasserman, a massive sport agency that represents over 1,500 clients. It was a dream, albeit difficult and unique, start to her career.
“As the sole HR representative on the East Coast — the rest of the HR team is based at the headquarters in Los Angeles — I have thrived in the autonomous opportunities and challenges it can present,” Lewinson said.
Interestingly enough, Lewinson is not sure what her future holds, or whether human resources will play a part in it. Her vast array of interests makes it likely that she might, at some point, cross the line into another field within the world of sports. Regardless, her experiences these past six years will stay with her forever and shape her success as a professional.
“HR is such a fundamental and powerful component of business that even if I venture outside of it, the experiences will always stay with me,” Lewinson said. “HR is ultimately about being proactive and reactive to today’s dynamic environment to leverage people to achieve personal and professional goals and successes. That’s what I strive to do daily.”
Evan Weisberg, a senior from Sleepy Hollow, New York, is double majoring in Sport Management and History.