From Touchdowns to Taxes

Gray Wheatley works hard and plays even harder... and he doesn't believe that work and play have to be mutually exclusive. How is Gray combining his love of sports with his IPS and helping others do the same thing?

About Me

I am an accounting major with a minor in Hispanic studies. I spent last semester in Spain in order to improve my Spanish-speaking ability and get a taste of life abroad. However, my IPS is truly being shaped by sports. This summer, I was a marketing intern for the Washington Redskins. I had an incredible opportunity to work directly with marketing executives in a dynamic business-to-business environment.

Integrating sports into my IPS is of the utmost importance to me because it connects my personal interests with my education. I play soccer, basketball, golf, and many other sports. My greatest passions in life relate to water sports. I would rather be knee boarding, wakeboarding, waterskiing, or scuba diving than anything else in the world.

Highlights

My time in the Business School has definitely been highlighted by all of the important and highly successful people visiting the Mason School of Business. Sandra Day O'Connor and Alan B. Miller both spoke at the dedication of our beautiful Mason School of Business this fall. I not only had the chance to listen to these speakers but have also had the chance to meet them. Adam Werbach, the CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi S and a global leader in the sustainability movement, delivered a great speech to hundreds of us and also took the time to meet with each student personally. These three individuals and many more show the prestige of William and Mary and the business school.

Defining moment

The Redskins internship sparked my interest in the sports business world and led to the founding of the Sports Business Club. The great staff in the undergraduate business office told me, "For every ounce of energy you put into this Club, we will match it." This could not be any truer. Through collaboration with the Undergraduate Office and the Business faculty, each student truly has the opportunity to shape his/her IPS however they want it to be shaped.

My defining moment was the first meeting of the Sports Business Club, when 50 people came to the interest meeting. We knew that there would be interest in the club, but to see so many people come was incredible. It showed me that with a recipe of initiative, a strong work ethic, dedication, and the ability to collaborate, anything is possible. As one of the founders and leaders of this student organization, I hope to provide educational and networking opportunities to my fellow classmates in order to give them chances at incredible internships like mine.

Future plans

I see myself continuing to connect my passions for sports with my business education in my future. I have always been a proponent of the notion that people should work hard and play hard but that the two should not be disconnected. It makes sense to enjoy what you do in life, and I am most certainly going to do this with my future in the sports business world. I have incredibly high goals in life and hold myself to very high standards, and I look forward to the challenges that will stand in my way on the road to success.