When Geoff Bell ’18 organized a Black History Month campaign for Yale University’s athletics department, where he is the assistant director of creative services, he incorporated the theme of “education through inspiration.”
Bell worked with the student-athlete of color leadership team, Yale Bulldogs for Change, to highlight Black role models who inspire them. The campaign tied together the impact of racial justice in athletics today and celebrated those who came before.
“We wanted to be very vocal in our support and knew the importance of using our status for a positive influence,” Bell said. “We were able to tell an amazing story through our student-athletes about what Black history means, then and now.”
In his role at Yale Athletics, Bell oversees all media graphics and design for the university’s 35 varsity teams, and his work is associated with nearly every piece of content on Yale’s athletics website, social media channels, and recruiting materials.
When Bell came to Ithaca, he had the opportunity to actively engage in his sports media studies while also competing as a student-athlete for the IC football team. Bell leads his work with the same motivation he felt the first time he stepped onto the Ithaca football field, doing everything he can to assist his team. During his senior year, he was offered an internship with IC’s athletic communications department, and he hit the ground running under the guidance of the associate director, Justin Lutes.