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Kristyn Hibbett | Public Relations | Class of 2023

Kristyn Hibbett grew up playing and loving basketball, but knew she couldn’t play the game forever. Through her own research, she learned what makes a game thrive behind the scenes. That’s when she declared her major to be public relations.

Today, she’s a corporate communications coordinator at the Cleveland Cavaliers, a job she secured shortly after graduating in 2022 with a public relations major and a minor in sports administration. 

At Kent State, Hibbett got incredibly involved, from joining the Public Relations Students Society of America (PRSSA Kent) to reaching out to the Dean of Students, who ultimately helped her become a student assistant in Kent State Athletics.  

Hibbett also interned with Adidas during the summer of 2022 and was a McLendon Fellowship participant. According to its , the program is “a one-year transformational program that provides minorities (known as Fellows) a jump-start to their careers in sports.” Through networking earlier that year, she also connected with the vice president of communications for the Cavs, who contacted her about an opportunity to be a game day assistant.

So, for a time, Hibbett worked both at her fellowship and with the Cavs. As her fellowship came to an end, she applied for and secured her full-time position on the corporate communications team.

In her role, one of Hibbett’s favorite things is being part of the Community Impact Report, which illustrates what each department is doing to give back to the community. She was in charge of designing, launching and writing it. 

“Through a lot of different programs, you really get to see how sports and basketball are an escape for kids trying to stay out of trouble,” said Hibbett, “and I’ve seen through our youth sports camps that they’re not just speaking to them about sports, but about leadership and the different avenues of life.”