eyes's path to sports media isn't your typical retired athlete picks up a microphone trope. She grew up in Idaho, far from the influence of professional sports. She found her calling after an internship with the University of Idaho Athletic Department. Upon graduating with a degree in marketing, Reyes headed west to the University of Oregon, where she worked in ticket sales for the athletic department. Shortly after, she moved to the Bay Area and took a job with the Golden State Warriors, working in account management. Reyes then pivoted to a role as social media manager. As a sports professional, she had been active on social media throughout her career, but this step was the first in her current career as a sports media personality. From social media work, she transitioned to general sports media. Oddly enough, Reyes took a sports broadcasting class in college and swore off ever appearing on camera. Fortunately for her, the transition to widespread remote work and Zoom conferences during the pandemic taught her to be comfortable on camera. When asked what stories she deems worth sharing, Reyes responds, "Stories that make my heart race." She “has always been a big proponent of advocating for marginalized communities and those who may not have had their stories told." At the moment, Reyes is finding most of those stories in the world of women's soccer, but she's interviewed athletes from various sports and always finds a story worth telling. When it comes to the recent explosion in women's sports, from last year's March Madness to the WNBA, women's soccer, and Olympic rugby, Reyes points out that, "While the recent boom may provide increased funding and longevity to women's sports, the athleticism and the elite athletes have always been there." Reyes is happy to continue to shine a light on women's sports from the pitch to the court and beyond. When asked how her heritage influences her stories, Reyes says, "As a first-generation Filipino American, getting to tell the stories of other Filipinos and AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) athletes is inspiring… If I don't tell their stories, who will?" Reyes's mission to involve her heritage with her work in sports media began approximately a year and a half ago while driving from Sacramento to San Francisco, listening to the Pink Card, an ESPN 30 for 30 podcasts that shines a light on the defiant Iranian women whose love of soccer has pushed them to resist their country's ban on women attending matches in the national stadium. The podcast’s host was an Iranian woman who grew up in the United States and had her mom work with her as a translator to interview Iranian women exiled from the country. As Reyes listened, she became enamored with the story and the relatable immigrant origins of the host. "I remember thinking, 'That was so cool her mom was involved. If only there were a story I could tell to involve my family.'" Then, it hit her, "The Filipino women are going to the World Cup." After researching, Reyes realized that many Filipino women attending the World Cup are Filipino Americans born and raised in the United States. Armed with her own experiences as the daughter of immigrants, Reyes created a podcast called Between Two
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