Natalia Chino ’23 is the unsung hero of Wesleyan football. Over her four years serving as the team manager, she’s truly done it all, from running the team’s social media to helping recruit new players and everything in between. She was recently recognized for her outstanding work with an invitation to attend the 2023 NFL Women’s Forum, which was held from Feb. 28 to March 1 at the NFL Scouting Combine. The event identifies women across the country working in college football and gives them the opportunity to learn from and network with top-level NFL executives in preparation for careers in professional football. Chino recently sat down with The Argus to discuss her lifelong passion for sports, her experiences overcoming adversity, and her plans to advocate for change in the professional sports industry.

The Argus: Can you start by introducing yourself?

Natalia Chino: My name is Natalia Chino. I am a senior at Wesleyan and I’m from Queens, New York City.

A: How did you first get interested in sports?

NC: My interest in sports began as a way to bond with my dad when I was younger. He had just immigrated here from Mexico and he didn’t really know [football] that well, but all his coworkers were super into it. So he started watching, and then I started watching with him, because my brother was super anti-sports and I would feel bad that he was watching it by himself.

And then when I got into high school, I started playing basketball, soccer, and lacrosse, and that’s where my general interest in sports began. I started this club called Change Through Sports, which really made me realize that sports could be a vehicle for social change. And that’s where I made the switch where I was like, “Okay, this is my hobby, but now I’m gonna turn it into my career.” I [also] started volunteering with a nonprofit called Friday Night Lights, [and] we would go give our athletic experience to the youth on Friday and Saturday nights. It was a violence prevention nonprofit, so it takes the kids off the streets from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and gives them something to do so they’re not on the streets during high crime times. 

A: How did you get your position as the football team manager at Wes?

NC: Initially, I was super interested in basketball, but the coach didn’t really have a position for me to work managerially. So that’s when I started looking into football, and one of the seniors on the football team who I was friends with was like, “Our coach is looking for extra help. Would you be interested in it?” And I was like, “Yeah, I’ll talk with him, I’ll see what he wants me to do.”

So, my student manager position: me and the [quarterback] coach at the time, Kyle Archer, kind of invented the position because it wasn’t really there before. There were always equipment managers, but I wasn’t doing equipment manager stuff. I was also going to practice every day, doing social media, doing interviews [and writing] for the football magazine, talking with parents, emailing with parents, helping with recruiting, giving tours to recruits, and that kind of stuff. And that’s why he gave me the role of overall student manager. So the role started with me. There was never a “me” before. And it’s been really great since then.

A: What would you say you love the most about football?

NC: I think what I love the most about football is the way it brings people together. I’m a very positive, passionate person, and I get really riled up about things. So football has become an outlet for me to continue my very chaotic, enthusiastic energy and get behind a team—whether it be the Wesleyan football team or my home team, the New York Giants. Being able to feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself has been why I’m interested in football.

Specifically for the Wesleyan football team, I had friends on the team already who [made] me feel included. So it was easy to make that transition, because I knew a lot of people, and they knew my concerns [when] I was like, “I’m gonna be at practice every day. I’m gonna be at every game. I’m gonna be around a hundred men at all times.” That can be uncomfortable for any woman. But I had a lot of men who I was already friends [with] on the team who were looking out for me and making sure I was super protected at all times. And in the few instances where I was uncomfortable or I heard something I didn’t like, I found that over the years, as I got closer with men on the team, they would start speaking up. I’m not scared to advocate for myself, but it’s nice when I have other people jumping in for me. So that’s what made me stay in football and first got me interested in Wesleyan football. Continuing to cultivate those meaningful relationships with the guys, and the way football brings everyone together.

A: You kind of touched on this, but I had no idea how many responsibilities you have. Can you talk about what your role entails?  

NC: It’s evolved, and it’s encompassed a lot of things. But I think because it’s an overall manager position, that made it easy for the coaches to ask me whatever they needed help with. So [one of] my responsibilities was making sure Wesleyan football looks good to everyone who’s looking at the team. Whether it be recruits, parents, [or] alumni, [I’m] making sure they’re getting a positive brand image of Wesleyan football. In terms of recruiting, Saturday mornings before games, I would give tours to recruits. And that’s, again, publicity, but now in person. I’m chatting up the recruits and their parents. I give them a whole tour of Wesleyan. I tell them about my experience, why they should come to Wes, and why they should be a part of the team. And then, at practice, I go every day and I fly the drone for film, which they use to evaluate the team in practices at their film sessions. At practices and at games, I do all the Instagram stories and posting. I post the highlights and score updates, that kind of stuff. 

A: What would you say your favorite part of being the manager has been, and what would you say has been the hardest part?

NC: I think my favorite part has been the friends I’ve made on the team and the meaningful relationships I’ve built with the players: players who challenge me to be the best version of myself, along with the coaches who have taught me a lot about the sport and how to navigate the football space in a manager position. If they think that I’m doing something really well, they give me validation. If they think there’s something I can improve on, they’re not scared to tell me. That’s something I really value. And having these football coaches be mentors to me, they have really helped me improve my football IQ so I am in position to take these career opportunities at a professional level, because I have so much knowledge of the sport [and] because of these coaches who are always vouching for me. The hardest part is learning how to navigate my role as a woman and building my thick skin in order to advocate for myself or go about disagreements. There have been times where I have disagreed with players or coaches, and that’s been hard. But I’ve realized I have the skillset to face those obstacles, and I know how to speak with people. So I’m always gonna advocate for myself, and I deserve to be there and have my role on the team, even if people disagree with me sometimes, or I disagree with something people are doing. 

My other favorite part of football has been the women who support me on the stands. My best friends come to every game and support me like crazy. They’re women who are uplifting women. And they are not as interested in football, but it’s like going to a talent show and supporting your friend. Football games, for them, have become my event. They’re like, “This is the thing that Natalia does. We need to go support her.” That’s been super important for me. 

A: Now we can move into NFL stuff. What is the NFL Women’s Forum, and how did you end up becoming a part of that?

NC: So, the NFL Women’s Forum was a networking event in Indiana. They scout 40 women who are working in college football throughout the country and they bring them to this event to network with general managers, executives, [and] coaches. I worked for the NFL last summer as their diversity, equity, and inclusion intern, and my supervisor, Sam Rapoport, organizes the forum. So she picked me because she already knew who I was, [and] she knew that this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I was there for two days. It was just nonstop networking. I was talking to the [general manager] of the Jets, I was talking to the coach of the Browns. So I spoke to a lot of really interesting high-level people who told me a lot about their teams and their workplace dynamics. And after the forum, that’s when people reached out to me with offers, wanting to schedule interviews [and] wanting to learn more about me. So I’m in final rounds of interviews with a few teams, and hopefully I’ll have something a hundred percent figured out by May. 

A: How has it been reconciling your passions and your career goals with entering an environment that’s historically not super open to non-white men in any sort of leadership position?

NC: I would definitely say that because I went to a predominantly white institution in high school, because I was there on [a] scholarship, I’ve always been in situations where I’m facing adversity, or I’m in an environment where I’m the only woman, the only woman of color, or the only low-income woman of color. I’ve been used to that since I was in seventh grade. So I think it’s been easier for me to transition because I’ve learned how to celebrate my diversity and look adversity in the face and be like, “I’m facing these obstacles because of my background or because I’m really different from all these white men, but my difference is what’s gonna give me a unique perspective and a unique voice.”

The best teams are the most diverse teams, where they have different ideas, backgrounds, and experiences so that the team is the most efficient and well-run. When environments are diverse and inclusive, that’s when you’re gonna produce the best results. All the leadership in the NFL is not gonna change overnight. I need to get in there first and make change from within the system, and once I’m already there, the best thing I can do is advocate for myself, advocate for other women of color and for the people who look like me, because that is how change is gonna start from inside. 

A: You said that you’re in talks and you’re still trying to figure it out, but what area are you looking to work in?

NC: This is something that I’ve actually changed. All my experience at the NFL and in my sports internships throughout the years have always been in human resources. I was the diversity, equity, and inclusion intern at the NFL. This past summer I worked for Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality. I was their communications and marketing intern. So everything has been office-based. But now I want to switch over to player engagement, and I want to deal with the relationships that the players have on and off the field. Because over the years I’ve been able to cultivate my skills of being able to talk to these men in a way that they listen to me and respect me, I can use those skills and apply it to a pro-league setting. So all the jobs that I’ve been applying for have been dealing with either community relations or stuff where I can focus on communicating with players and coaches because that’s, I think, where I’m [strongest]. 

A: If you could give any advice to anyone who’s interested in sports but doesn’t come from the typical background of people who usually pursue that field, what would you say?

NC: I would say that there are certain characteristics and skills that are super common in people who work in sports, even if they don’t come from a sports background. Those characteristics are [being] super passionate, motivating, and [having] a positive attitude because sports is a very difficult industry that’s constantly changing, and it’s super high pressure. You don’t want to be the person who’s in a bad mood all the time because sports is supposed to be uplifting and exciting. Being open-minded, being able to adapt to different situations, and being a quick learner [are important] because everything is super fast-paced in sports. Another piece of advice would be knowing that you deserve to be there and that you’ve been working hard regardless of whether you’ve had the sports background or not. Recognizing that you can totally add value to a team and you just need to be confident in that and not let people second guess you.

I remember when I was way younger, I would let little things get to me, or people looked at me a little crazy because I was the only woman on the field and I would take that personally. But over the years I’ve grown to [let] this stuff bounce off me because I’m secure in myself. I know that I’m working hard and doing these great things, so I don’t need to worry about what people have to say. My sense of validation comes from within myself, not from anyone else.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Erin Byerly can be reached at ebyerly@wesleyan.edu.