Quentin Rodriguez M’23 Receives NCAA Inclusion CSC Convention Grant

CSC RELEASE | RODRIGUEZ'S GONDOLA PORTFOLIO (SOCIAL ANALYTICS)

BEVERLY, Mass. — Endicott sports information graduate assistant Quentin Rodriguez M'23 (Kissimmee, Fla.) has received an NCAA Inclusion grant to attend the College Sports Communicators (CSC, formerly CoSIDA) Convention in Orlando, Florida from June 11-14.

The NCAA Inclusion CSC Convention Grant program was created to advocate for diversity within the athletic communications profession. 

The program includes a visit to the NCAA national office and pairs grant recipients with a CSC mentor for the upcoming academic year, all while covering registration fees, lodging, and transportation to both the CSC Convention and NCAA national office visit.

Rodriguez was one of two grant recipients chosen from Division III nationwide. He will represent the division at the CSC Convention along with Tia Day of Bates College.

Recipients were chosen for the program based on meeting the following criteria:

• Identify as an ethnic minority (male or female)
• Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to intercollegiate athletics (specifically related to sports information/media relations), and support of advancing and advocating for diversity within athletic communications
• Applicants must be athletics communicators from NCAA Division I, II, and/or III with five years of experience or less in the industry
• Submit a brief essay on how they demonstrate these qualities as well as what they hope to learn at convention and the national office visit

During his time at Endicott, Rodriguez has made an immediate impact on all ECGulls' social media channels, primarily on Instagram.

The second-year graduate assistant (GA) has produced both photo and video content for the platform, strengthened the voice and branding of the account, and heightened the strategic decision-making processes in promoting all of Endicott's student-athletes and programs in a positive manner.

Rodriguez also has bolstered the social media presence and consistency of many team accounts across the athletics department in addition to serving as the social media coordinator for The Office of Institutional Advancement at the College.

However, Rodriguez's most important achievement has been the personal connections he has made with staff members across multiple departments, and, most importantly, Endicott's student-athletes. 

These connections have strengthened many relationships for the Sports Information Department and allowed the ECGulls content team to share more in-depth stories about our student-athletes.

Rodriguez has accomplished all this while functioning as the main media contact for eight programs, highlighted by his work with Endicott's field hockey, men's soccer, women's lacrosse, and softball programs.

Alongside those responsibilities, Rodriguez has served as a mentor for several students who work on the ECGulls content team, either as interns or work-study students. 

Rodriguez is expected to complete his Master of Science in sport leadership from the College this spring. He currently sports a 3.87 cumulative grade point average (GPA) in the program.

"We are so proud of Quentin (Q) for applying to and receiving the NCAA Inclusion CSC Convention Grant," said Shawn Medeiros, Endicott's Sports Information Director. "Our department is grateful to the NCAA/CSC selection committee for awarding him this grant. It personally brings me great joy to see the committee recognize Q for his unmatched passion in bettering the student-athlete experience as well as understanding his innate ability to build authentic relationships."

Medeiros continued.

"Quentin's impact on our department will be long-lasting and I can't thank him enough for all the care, passion, and hard work he has put in during his time as a GA. Receiving the NCAA Inclusion CSC Grant is further proof of this and I cannot wait to see what doors this opens for him in the profession."

Rodriguez joined the Sports Information department in the fall of 2021 after receiving his Bachelor of Science in social sciences, with minors in journalism and sport management, from the University of Central Florida (UCF).

While at UCF, Rodriguez served as a strategic communications intern with the UCF Athletics Department. His duties during the internship included producing media guides; writing (game notes, student-athlete profiles, game previews, recaps), social media, and managing photographers and press conferences.

Rodriguez's other experiences include being a UCF Knight News reporter (2020-21), working as Kissimmee Main Street's marketing coordinator (2020-21), and serving as the social media coordinator for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League this past season.

Additionally, Rodriguez is a proud Eagle Scout and aspires to work in communications for a National Football League (NFL) team upon graduation, but preferably for his Philadelphia Eagles. 

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(Photo Credit - Endicott Athletics)