Student Success Spotlight: Alpha Diop

Alpha Diop grew up a Duke fan. This summer, the Berea College student-athlete went from watching the Blue Devils to working inside their athletic department.

 

As an intern with Duke Athletics, Diop rotated through different areas of the department and met with staff and executives whose work helps make college sports possible. He also volunteered at USL games and presented on student-athlete identity development to incoming Duke freshmen. As a dual-sport athlete, he could speak to the experience from his own perspective.

One conversation was especially memorable. Diop sat down with legendary Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, known as Coach K, to discuss leadership and the changing world of athletic administration. For someone who hopes to build a career in sports, it was an opportunity he once could only have imagined.

The internship also gave Diop a chance to represent Berea College in a place he had admired for years. He took that responsibility seriously, from arriving dressed for the professional setting to making the most of each meeting and rotation.

Diop knew that breaking into the sports industry would take persistence. Throughout the summer, he treated every conversation and challenge as a chance to learn.

"I took the bet on myself," Diop said. "I looked for ways to grow through each interaction, every sit-down, and each challenge presented."

By the end of the internship, Diop had gained a closer look at how an athletic department operates and what it takes to lead within one. The experience strengthened his goal of becoming a leader in sports while reminding him to keep working toward it through competing commitments.

For Diop, that approach reflects the Berea mission he carried with him to Duke: "freedom to dream, driven to do."