Thanks to the support and guidance from Rice’s Department of Sport Management, I had the opportunity to recently travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina, alongside Ivan Franco-Hernandez ’25 to kick off a consulting project with Racing Club de Avellaneda. The club competes in the Primera División, the top division of Argentine football, and is one of the most historic and passionate teams in Latin America.
Over the course of our five-day visit, we met with key decision-makers at the club, observed internal operations, and presented our project framework to Racing’s leadership. The trip was a critical first step in a semester-long collaboration between Rice Sport Management and Racing Club.
Ivan and I will be co-leading a team of 12 Sport Management students this semester. Our goal is to identify areas for improvement within Racing’s game day operations and propose value-added strategies to enhance fan engagement and the overall experience.
“What excites me most is leading a team of talented classmates and seeing our work come to life,” Franco-Hernandez said. “We’ll be referencing best practices from other sports and leagues and adapting them to Racing’s context. The opportunity to make a real-world impact—especially for a club with such a rich history—is incredibly rewarding.”
Currently, I’m working as a Summer Analyst at Oliver Wyman in Houston. Previously, I interned as a Sales and Marketing Analyst at Pan American Energy in Buenos Aires and completed finance externships with Morgan Stanley, Macquarie, and Warburg Pincus.
Ivan has interned with Capital One’s Corporate Strategy team in McLean, Virginia, and later worked as a Mid-Corporate Banking Summer Analyst at Citibank in New York. In the sports world, he’s contributed to projects with the Rice Women’s Soccer Team, NFL Honors, and U.S. Soccer. He will return to Citibank as a full-time analyst later this summer.
While in Buenos Aires, we also explored iconic neighborhoods like Palermo, Retiro, and La Boca. One of Ivan’s favorite moments was visiting La Boca and attending Racing’s Copa Libertadores match against Colo Colo.
“One highlight for me was exploring the neighborhood of La Boca, a colorful and vibrant community,” Franco-Hernandez said. “In addition, attending Racing Club’s Copa Libertadores match against Colo Colo was just as surreal. Their 4–0 victory was the perfect way to wrap up an incredible week in Argentina.”
The most memorable moment for me was also attending that match. We were on-site from early afternoon to late evening, observing both the fan sections and VIP areas while learning how each department—from ticketing to operations—functioned on match day.
After graduation, I hope to pursue a career in consulting, ideally working on projects in Latin America and the sport industry. Experiences like this one with Racing Club have helped me merge my interests in global business, sport, and culture.
“My long-term goal is to transition into sports-focused private equity while also spending part of my career teaching at the intersection of sports and economics,” Franco-Hernandez said.
One piece of advice we both share is to say yes to opportunities—but also to actively seek them out. Whether it’s applying for a role you’re unsure about, attending a Sport Management Society meeting, or reaching out to alumni for advice, taking initiative early can shape your career path in unexpected ways.
Sergio Rojas, a rising senior from Houston, Texas, is double-majoring in Business with a concentration in Finance and Sport Management with a concentration in Leadership.