It’s not often that a driven student athlete working to be the best in his sport abandons it for another dream, but that’s what Sterling Melancon did after transferring to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. As he graduates this winter with a major in communication studies, the former track athlete is preparing to enter law school and pursue a new goal: becoming a lawyer specializing in sports and entertainment.
“Tennessee has opened my eyes to a longer road throughout life, that there is so much more possible to obtain through life and career and adventure and exposure; it has led me down the path to pursuing law school,” he said. “I’m interested in representing particularly athletes or any creative talent, from musician to entertainers and sports talent, to advocate for their intellectual property and creative arts. I want to help them to protect those creative brands and social identities.”
Melancon said he understands well the tunnel vision that performers of any sort can get as they intensely train for their sport or develop their art. It can make them vulnerable to being taken advantage of by people who don’t have their best interests at heart, which is why he wants to step in and help them protect their brand and image.
But that’s just the first step in his career plan—Melancon said his long-term goal is to either manage athletes or an athletic team. Once he realized what he really wanted to do with his career, he stepped away from track and fully immersed himself into academics and other opportunities at UT and the College of Communication and Information (CCI). He went on multiple trips with CCI, including to Washington, DC, and Nashville, to learn more about possible careers and expand his professional network.
“Coming from a normal middle-class family, I was already fortunate but going outside of the University of Tennessee on academic trips, we were forced to see the history and events of where we’re at. It has provided so much when it comes to perspectives and provoking thought and introspection on so many topics,” Melancon said.
The trip that left an indelible mark on Melancon was the Tennessee-Rwanda Leadership Experience (TREL), led by UT’s Division of Access and Engagement Vice Chancellor Tyvi Small. This occurred when he was still a student athlete, and it proved pivotal for his future. Small said Melancon, who was in the inaugural TREL cohort, took full advantage of the trip and absorbed everything he could while in Rwanda.
“It was a country, culture, and customs he was unfamiliar with, and he really embraced that experience and learned,” Small said. “He brought a level of maturity and leadership; he’s a natural leader and he doesn’t say a whole lot, but when he does speak his colleagues listen because he’s so thoughtful and purposeful with how he engages. He’s that quintessential example of what we call the servant leader, he leads with people, he engages people, he wants to bring them along and wants to lead with them.”
Small said he has no doubt that Melancon is capable of one day running a sports team or even heading an entire professional sports league. He said the soon-to-be-alumnus is a genuine person who wants to make an impact and uplift people, and to help change lives through his work.
The vice chancellor went on to become a mentor to Melancon after that trip, and the communication studies major took full advantage of that mentorship. Melancon describes himself as being a sponge soaking in everything he could from Small and other leaders on campus, including Marshall Steward, deputy athletics director and chief competitive officer for Tennessee Athletics.
He also got a lot of hands-on experience in learning more about managing athletes during a year-long internship with the Vol Team Student Association, which works with UT’s football team to host recruits and provide hospitality to recruits and their families. He said the experience mirrored the rest of his time at UT in that it was nothing short of exceptional.
While his experiences outside the classroom were formative, Melancon said his classes in communication studies contributed just as much to shaping his perspective and providing him with knowledge he’ll carry with him into his career and life.
He transferred to UT as a biochemistry student, initially because he was set to become a dentist, following in the steps of several family members. But after interning at a dentist’s office that wasn’t one of his relative’s, Melancon knew that field was not the one for him.
He said his athletic advisor saw “the un-bloomed potential” in him, noticing Melancon’s capacity for critical thinking, and led the student to communication studies—a decision he says has impacted more than just his professional aspirations. He said his class on interpersonal relationships, CMST 412 Close Relationships, was transformative.
“Until that class I didn’t realize how much I lacked in understanding close relationships. Understanding those styles of interpersonal communication can honestly lead to resolving conflicts. In this world we keep so much of what bothers us internal, but being able to effectively communicate your problems makes life so much more worthwhile,” he said.