ONWARD Q&A SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: An interview with Emmett Espino
MINOT, N.D. – Emmett Espino is set to graduate from Minot State University this spring, earning a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting. Espino is a featured speaker at MSU’s Commencement Exercise ceremony on Friday, May 16.
A native of Fairfield, California, Espino has achieved a 3.712 GPA, earning him a spot on the MSU President’s List. As a player on the Minot State football team, he was honored as a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference All-Academic Team of Excellence award winner.
Outside of athletics and academics, Espino is deeply connected with the campus community, named the Student Activities entertainment director for MSU Life, where he would help plan and implement campus events. He has been active on campus, serving as vice president of the Student Government Association. Along with on-campus involvement, Espino invested his time locally with Meals on Wheels and the Miss Amazing pageant.
He intends to pursue a master’s degree in business management and sports management. With an end goal of becoming a stockholder relations manager at a corporate level.
Even with all of his on- and off-campus endeavors, Espino took time to sit down with University Communications for a very special Senior Spotlight edition of our Onward Q&A series.
How has your experience at Minot State shaped you personally and professionally over the past few years?
EE: It taught me how to get outside of my comfort zone. How to adapt to the area around me and to control the controllables. I think it also taught me time management. It also taught me that where there is a will, there is a way.
How do you think MSU helped you grow personally, beyond just your academic achievements?
EE: It was a place where I could safely learn how the world worked. It was a place that taught me to connect and to work hard. I am very grateful for MSU.
Outside of academics, what do you enjoy doing in your free time? Any hobbies, sports, or hidden talents?
EE: I played football here at MSU and love watching it. I am always attached to football. I like to coach and help people adapt their game.
What first sparked your interest in sports management, and what made you choose it as your graduate-level studies at Minot State University?
EE: I wanted to see what the graduate assistant job in athletics would do for me, and I was looking for a degree that could complement the experience.
How has your experience in the program shaped your understanding of the sports industry?
EE: I am only in my first semester of my master's. I would say, so far, the hands-on experience with Daniel (Minot State assistant athletic director for revenue and fan development, Daniel Schuetz) and Janna (associate director of athletics for external operations, Janna McKechnie '14) has been the most helpful at developing an understanding of athletics. I am still deciding if it is something I would like to be doing or what it will be for me.
You were a standout on the football team; tell us about how your experience was being a student-athlete, going through a coaching change, and then getting to a very successful senior year.
EE: It was about persistence. If you believe that something can happen — and you are persistent enough to make it happen — it will happen. I am grateful I stuck around and played all my snaps of football with 100% effort. I will not regret it. Football has taught me to endure the hardship and to stay focused on the task at hand.
Looking back, what has been your favorite memory or event at Minot State?
EE: Definitely the first ever beats bash that the amazing MSU life team put on. I would also say that winning homecoming as a senior on the team was an insane experience.
How would you describe the campus culture at Minot State to someone who's never been here, and what makes it unique or memorable?
EE: Constant opportunity for activity. I think MSU always has something going on. They are a school that can provide opportunities to anyone at any point in time.
If you could give advice to incoming Minot State students or future sports management majors, what would it be?
EE: Get outside. Go be involved hands-on with athletics. It is important to find out if you like something before you decide to make it your life.
About Minot State University
Minot State University is a public university dedicated to excellence in education, scholarship, and community engagement achieved through
rigorous academic experiences, active learning environments, commitment to public service, and a vibrant campus life.
Published: 05/15/25
