GIS Student Skyla Clarke on Studying Abroad and Finding Her Voice as a Content Creator

From New Zealand to coaching girls’ football in the United States and studying online from Australia, GIS student Skyla Clarke is making the most of opportunities across the world.

Currently studying BA (Hons) Sports Management at the Global Institute of Sport (GIS), Skyla is combining her passion for sport with international experiences, content creation and the flexibility to study from wherever she chooses.

Her journey reflects the Curiosity and Courage at the heart of GIS’ EPICC Values, having embraced opportunities abroad from an early age.

After leaving high school in New Zealand, Skyla travelled to Massachusetts to coach girls’ football, an experience that saw her work with women’s football legends Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly.

“It was a completely different experience for me being fresh out of high school then suddenly packing my bags and flying across the world, but I definitely think it is what I needed,” Skyla told GIS.

“I think it was very eye-opening to work on the ground with youth athletes, especially as it was an all-girls camp. I valued my experience a lot because I believe it helped ground me in my overall life goal of being a contributor to women’s sports, and the areas of my community that I would like to serve.”

Launching her GIS Journey

After returning to New Zealand, Skyla’s next adventure took her to Brisbane, Australia, where she began her studies with GIS. The flexibility of studying online was a key factor in her decision to enrol.

“For me it was the fact that I could complete my degree from anywhere in the world, with so many options for home bases and different connections in different cities. I’m very grateful that my GIS degree has since allowed me to move to Brisbane, Australia, and hopefully in the future I will be able to move around some more and find new experiences in other corners of the world.”

Alongside completing her first year of studies, Skyla has been part of GIS’ Creator Network, a paid opportunity that allows students to gain practical experience producing content for sports audiences.

Beyond building her portfolio and developing her content creation skills, Skyla credits the experience with helping her grow in confidence.

“It’s just confidence. I think it takes a lot of courage to let people into your life and show them the things that you do.

“Before becoming a part of the creator network I posted mainly about the lives of others, such as my favourite athletes and teams, which is so much easier to me.”

Reflecting on overcoming the fear of putting herself online, Skyla added:

“posting myself repeatedly has been huge because I don’t really care what others think of it anymore. I obviously want my content to be engaging and well-liked, but I’m not afraid of the cringe, which I think is definitely an unfortunate barrier that stops others from getting into content creating themselves.”

Starting Out as a Content Creator

Skyla’s passion for content creation extends beyond her role with GIS. In 2023, she launched Girls Who Write, a platform encouraging young women and girls to develop their writing skills and engage in discussions across a range of subjects.

She also runs her own TikTok page, sportwithskyla, which began as a project aimed at supporting and documenting her career in sport. Since creating the account, she has developed skills from presenting on camera to editing, amassing tens of thousands of likes in the meantime.

“It has been really exciting to watch them grow,” Skyla said of her two projects. “Girls Who Write was particularly interesting for me because it had me running my own website and figuring things out all on my own, which certainly had its challenges at times, but in the end it set me up well in equipping me with the skills I needed to produce sportwithskyla.”

“I think I have grown a lot in terms of my creative style, and I have been able to engage large groups of fans from sports such as football, Formula One, motocross, Supercars, and rugby.

“My goal for the future is to drive engagement as much as I can, while serving as many different fanbases as I can.”

As she progresses through her GIS degree, Skyla’s studies will cover areas including Entrepreneurship and Sports Marketing Strategy & Sponsorship, complementing the practical experience she continues to gain through her content creation projects.

For students hoping to follow a similar path into the sports industry or begin creating their own content, Skyla has one key piece of advice:

“Just start somewhere. Initially I spent a lot of time planning what I wanted to do, brainstorming ideas and kind of mucking around just talking about it rather than actually putting these words into action.

“The best thing you can do for yourself is to start, even if your first few posts flop or you don’t enjoy it as much as you thought you would. Learning comes from experience and it is the only way you will grow.”

Follow GIS on Instagram to discover more content from our Creator Network, or visit our news page to explore further student stories and career journeys.

Article by Zakaria Anani