Trevor Jossart prepared to take on new challenges in new role as director of athletic communications

In just a few weeks 2016 Marian University graduate Trevor Jossart will start his new position as the director of athletic communications at Augustana College, a Division III school in Illinois that will add a lot more to his plate than what he grew accustomed to in the three years he served as the sports information director at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas.

But as a Sabre, he will continue to rely on the education he received as a Sport and Recreation Management major, using its vast range of lessons to navigate the juggling act that he’s undoubtedly looking forward to.

“With this position, there’s so much going on behind the scenes that people don’t realize, and Marian really did an excellent job of offering a program with multiple focuses, which has translated to me having the ability to adapt to a lot of situations,” he said. “Really, the program being as multifaceted as it is, is what got me to where I am today.”

The Appleton native wasn’t always a Sabre, though. His first year after graduating from St. Mary Central in Neenah was spent at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, where he discovered his affinity for working in sports. Looking to earn a degree that would allow him to do that, he researched programs and found Marian’s to be one of the strongest in Wisconsin.

“I had always envisioned going to a larger school like UW-Madison, and I was a little nervous coming in because I figured everyone had already made friends their freshman year, but the small school atmosphere of Marian allowed me to get to know my classmates super quick and they really made me feel at ease,” he said.

It also didn’t take Trevor long to appreciate how Marian’s program was set up to have grades based mostly on papers, presentations, and participation points, rather than in-class assignments or out-of-class assignments.

“It felt unorthodox initially, but I grew to realize how it was grooming all of us to succeed in the real world,” he said. “It helped get us involved in the community, and ultimately allowed us to not only have a degree, but have practical experience that we could showcase to employers in interviews.”

Trevor began his writing career during his senior year by contributing to Outside Pitch Sports Network, and following his time as a Sabre, he worked diligently to gain even more exposure, working as a site expert and college football reporter at FanSided from 2016-2018, and also serving as the social media and event coordinator at Metcalfe’s Market in Madison for a six-month period in 2018.

Also looking to improve his writing by continuing his education, he received his Master of Science degree in marketing, sports marketing and media from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 2018, and obtained a certificate in the Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking from Harvard University in June 2020.

And, as an active member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), he served as a staff writer for the NAIA Hoops Report and served as the NAIA-SIDA Game Highlight Contest Coordinator last year. He is currently the general manager for The Advantage all-NAIA alumni team in the annual TBT basketball tournament.

“I’m really proud of what I’ve accomplished, and I feel fortunate to have had these opportunities,” he said. “I could never see myself going into any other position now, and I could have never foreseen loving this work as much as I do.”