Denise Kamyuka ‘18CPS
Denise Kamyuka '18CPS: An Aspirational Young Academic and Advocate
"Over the summer I had the pleasure of working with Professor Baeva on a new Film Festival project", said Denise, a second year Graduate Student in the Sport Management Master's Program, reflecting on her time supporting faculty as a Graduate Assistant at the College of Professional Studies. To increase visibility for St. John's University's Television and Film Department and to reward students with the most outstanding final projects with a chance to showcase their work at acclaimed film festivals, Denise compiled a database of festivals around the world. Subsequently, she entered and marketed student projects to targeted festivals - we wait in anticipation for success as notifications of film acceptances are due this winter.
Denise hales to us from Botswana, Africa, where she worked as a pharmacist for six years before transitioning into Sports and Business Management. Prior to St John’s University Denise has worked as a brand manager and athlete nutrition advisor for a major sports nutrition brand. She has also served as a marketing consultant for Nurturing Minds’ school for disadvantaged girls (in Tanzania) and currently serves on the junior board for Kids in the Games’ NGO initiative. In addition to this, Denise works as an intern at UNICEFUSA in the Sports Partnership division and is the founder of S.Y.STEM (a program geared at mentoring and acquainting students in sports with STEM careers in sport).
While being an engaged ambassador for these causes in the practical world, Denise also delivers outstanding work as an academic: She is the proud winner of the “Outstanding Research Award” from St. John’s University Research Month 2017 on her work on economic concepts of doping in African-female marathon running for which her abstract also got accepted for the London School of Economics African Economics conference. Join us in wishing her all the best as she takes her work to the NYSEA Annual Conference this October.
In the future, Denise aspires to work with Athletes from developing countries on building their Philanthropic Brand while facilitating their transition into the West, ensuring that their culture, identity and integrity remain intact. After graduating from her Master’s degree in Sport Management, she also wishes to pursue a Ph.D.
