I had the choice to recruit a penpal, and I chose Ryan Parncutt because her path motivates me. Ryan joined the Revenue Generation and Marketing team in 2023 as a Marketing and Fan Engagement Coordinator, and she was elevated to Director of Athletic Marketing and Social Media in June 2024. That is a remarkable rise in such a short period of time, and I am excited to get to know her better!
Ryan is now pursuing a Master of Science in Sport Management at Old Dominion University (ODU), in addition to her full-time job. Talk about multitasking! She was a student-athlete on ODU’s Women’s Soccer team before embarking on her professional career, and she earned a Bachelor of Science in Career and Technical Education in 2023. I had a feeling our penpal relationship would be as dynamic as her résumé.
When people ask her how she markets or applies her strategies to sports or social media, Ryan emphasizes the importance of knowing your audience. “Think of it like a makeup brand—you have to understand what the product does and who it’s for,” she explained. She takes the time to get to know the people she’s marketing to, not just their surface-level preferences. It’s especially hard to do this from behind a screen, so she spends as much time as possible behind the scenes, observing, listening, and learning about her audience on a deeper level. I have first hand witnessed how much she pours into her work and the athletes attached to it, every time I see her I just know she has nothing but good to give and it inspires me to want to do the same!
As an athlete, she acknowledged that you often put in a ton of work and still don’t get the results you want, but the key is persistence and grit. Progress over perfection is her mindset. Ryan explained that athletes are often pressured to strive for perfection, but it’s an unrealistic and exhausting goal. Instead, she focuses on finding joy in seeing progress and shifting her perspective to embrace steady growth. Her work ethic is admirable and she doesn’t just talk about working hard—she lives it.
We also bonded over our mutual love of sports. I’ve had the opportunity to work one-on-one with Ryan to develop content for the ODU Women’s Basketball team, and she embodies the value of being yourself and bringing positive energy to everything you do. Her idea is simple yet powerful: you never know who you might influence or how you might change someone’s day by being positive and enthusiastic.
Ryan’s dedication to lifelong learning was particularly noteworthy. Despite her busy schedule, she prioritizes personal and professional development. Her pursuit of a master’s degree while thriving in her career inspired me to think more intentionally about how I approach obstacles. Ryan’s advice? “Do what you can, put your best foot forward, and enjoy it while you can. Stay curious and connected—the best opportunities arise when you’re open to them.”
Recruiting Ryan as my penpal has left me feeling more inspired to chase my goals. If you ever get the chance to connect with someone as driven and down-to-earth as Ryan, take it—you never know how much you’ll grow from the experience.