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| Ryan Girffin- SBNation.com |
Ryan Griffin - Hometown: Westlake Village, CA - Tulane Class of 2013 - Business Finance and Management double major
Occupation: New Orleans Saints Quarterback
Tulane had a killer year in this year's NFL draft and combine. There is buzz all over the league about Green Wave football grads (see: Cairo Santos with the Chiefs or Ryan Grant with the Redskins). And one of the biggest talks of the new breed of NFL QBs? Check out our man Ryan Griffin, former Green Wave QB and current understudy of the man, the legend, Drew Brees. Possible successor to one of the greatest QBs of all time? You bet. Right now he's on the practice squad with some big dreams ahead.
I got a chance to catch up with Griffin as preseason got underway. "Tulane definitely prepared me for my job in the NFL," Griffin told me.
"Experiencing the clean and quiet dorm life of Sharp, enjoying the fine dining of the Bruff Commons, and participating in modest social events like Mardi Gras all helped me make it to the place I am today." The man has a sense of humor.
"All kidding aside, I doubt I would be where I am today if it wasn't for Tulane. By going to school so far from home I was forced to grow up. The combination of rigorous athletics and academics helped prepare me for a job in the NFL. At Tulane, I quickly learned hard work in the classroom and on the field was the key to success. My teammates, teachers, and coaches constantly pushed me to achieve more. I loved Tulane and often wish I was back in college living with my 5 dirty yet awesome roommates. Through all the hard work I always knew you had to laissez les bons temps rouler. Roll Wave!"
Nice guy, and funny, too. Watch for him this season with the greatest team in all of sports, ever. Period. Go Saints!
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| Aja Barto crossfitmicountry.com |
Occupation: CrossFit Allstar
If you've read my blog in the past, you know I am big into health and fitness. So are many of our graduates. It's no surprise that one of the most popular fads in health and fitness has a Tulane grad among its most successful ranks. Any of you crossfitters out there will definitely recognize Aja Barto. Aja and his brother, Aryan Barto, (All Conference center for Tulane football and a 2008 grad) own a strength and conditioning/lifestyle CrossFit facility outside of Houston where they work with individuals who become better, stronger, healthier versions of their current selves.
Another alum of our Green Wave athletics program, Aja told me that he "gained a lot of maturity and mental strength being on my own and playing Division I competitive baseball for the Green Wave for 3 years. I think through this experience I learned a lot about myself, what I was capable of and to follow my passion and care nothing of what others think or believe of you. I learned to take risks even if the reward was steep. That has evolved into my belief that it's not so much about the money or the fame but rather about doing something you love and with those that you love that can make you the happiest. I cannot be happier with where I am in my life today and I owe a part of that to my experiences at Tulane."
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| TJ at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans (from the Saint's suite, of course) |
Occupation: Legal and finance for the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans.
From on the court to off, Tulane grads have made their presence in the world of professional sports. T.J. is a fraternity brother of mine, and three-time graduate of the university. He now works for both the Saints and the Pelicans here in NOLA. T.J. told me that Tulane's sports law connections helped a great deal; our sports law program is ranked as the best specialized sports law program in the country. Having a background in finance as well as various marketing/business development courses and internships during his time as an undergrad,T.J. is now able to look at sports issues from a complete perspective. "Often, working in sports involves a lot of moving parts and a lot of different departments, so it's important to have at least a base knowledge of many different areas," says T.J.
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| Sam, looking all official. |
Occupation: Live Programming and Entertainment Manager for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Speaking of the court and the sidelines, Sam has a totally cool job. In her job as Live Programming and Entertainment Manager for the New Orleans Pelicans, she plays the main role in much of the in-game entertainment. During the season, this consists of floor managing all home games and stage managing large events including the planning, organizing and scripting that goes into all of them. Sam manages a number of entertainment teams, books all half-time entertainment and national anthems and works with players at media days to develop in-game features and crowd prompts. Sam told me that "my job requires attention to detail, hard work, communication, and the ability to multitask all the time! With the long hours I work I also have to know how to have fun and connect with people around me. Tulane did a great job providing a well rounded education, a strong work ethic and knowing how to have fun all at once (the trifecta to being successful and loving your job!)"
Check her out at any home Pelicans game!
Caroline Haas - Hometown: Cleveland, OH - Biomedical Engineering major - Tulane Class of 2008
Occupation: AFA Fit and Field Testing Manager at Oakley
Okay, Caroline has about the coolest job I have ever seen. I met up with her this past spring at a Tulane event in San Diego where she is currently working as a field test manager at Oakley. When I saw her, she smiled and handed me a pair of custom-made Oakleys in Tulane green and blue! Coolest gift ever. Caroline is a biomedical engineer by major and what she does now is awesome; she designs, builds and runs tests for all of Oakley's products. "This winter, I spent time in Sochi for the Olympics, hovering in a helicopter above our athletes, testing their bodies' reaction to our products." I mean... how cool is that? Caroline's job is to test things like heat, body reactions, wearability, durability, etc., of some of Oakley's best products from jackets to shoes. She's a proud Tulane alumnae as well, and I don't just mean because of the custom glasses she gets to make. Caroline is a great example of how a great major at Tulane can take you to a great job in the field, even if the path to that job may not initially seem totally direct. Keep up the incredible work, Caroline!
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| Caroline at work. Yes, at work. |
Ryan Jones - Hometown: Slidell, LA - Musical Theater Major, Political Science Minor - Tulane Class of 2012
Occupation: Instructor for SoulCycle, an indoor cycling company, based in the NYC studios
I love to spin, and part of my love of that came from taking SoulCycle. For any of you CA or NY area spinners, you've definitely heard of SoulCycle. Just this month, one of Tulane's own became a SoulCycle instructor! Ryan was a musical theater major (who killed it in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on campus a few years back) and moved to NYC to pursue a career in theater. In addition, he teaches Soul. "One of the things I love most about working for SoulCycle is that I feel like I get to perform on the instructor bike for each class," he told me.
"I get to show my personality and encourage and train riders all at the same time. I also have gotten to bring a lot of the skills that I acquired working in the Admissions and Orientation offices at Tulane, especially when it comes to assisting people who are coming to SoulCycle for the first time. It has definitely been an asset to be able to know how to approach helping people to feel comfortable and excited about something brand new!" Check out his instructor's page here!
So there you have it! Just a sampling of the ways our grads are making their presence known in the sporting world.
See you all at Yulman!
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| Ryan at SoulCycle soulcycle.com |
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| Sam, court-side at the Pelicans |
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| Sam at the All Star Game |
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| More of Aja in Action. Photo courtesy of therxreview.com |
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| Ryan in the pre-season. NOLA.com |
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