Alumni Profile

Adriana Guerrero

Adriana Guerrero BS’04


I’m writing this from seat 12C, flying somewhere over Wyoming, en route to my final destination of Portland, Ore. After a whirlwind of a summer, I’m finally going home – back in the office, back to the grind. Last night I watched Spike Lee and Roger Federer open the doors to our new store in New York City. These days, I work in U.S. brand marketing for Nike Sportswear.

Starting at IU Bloomington in 2000 as a wide-eyed and eager freshman, on day one I signed up as a sport communication broadcast major, knowing my passion for athletics would be the guiding light in my life. Diving head first into the college experience, I visited La Casa, where Lillian greeted me with a big smile. A few years later, I would be elected as the president of Latinos Unidos, working out of that same house. LUIU was a phenomenal experience, allowing our group to learn firsthand how to throw events, raise money, manage budgets, market ourselves, and listen to each other.

Staying busy with more than just Latinos Unidos, I knew the experiences outside of the classroom would let me practice what was learned from textbooks. Throughout the years, I was the co-chair of the Student Coalition, planned events for the Hip Hop Congress, rode in the Little 500, represented at IUSA meetings, sat on Dean McKaig’s Student Advisory Board, helped choose the next trustee, and participated in the Student Athletic Board for men’s soccer and women’s basketball. Outside of school activities, I also gave my time to a few record labels to do street teamwork, which was really an amazing exercise in networking.

Exactly one year after graduating from IU in 2004, I was offered a job with Nike Soccer in Los Angeles. Overjoyed and in disbelief that Nike chose me, I began managing the blog on nikesoccer.com, gearing up for the World Cup and traveling to many games across the country, interviewing athletes for the Web site. Because of my deep connection to the sport, I also managed a few mobile tours on the West Coast, popping up at Nike lounge and experience at different soccer camps.

Very similar to the life of an IU student, my recent days at Nike have been full of studying, meetings, presentations, and assignments. Overseeing the entire U.S., our brand team of three people provides direction to all sportswear functions reporting in advertising, digital marketing, grassroots, events, pr, and retail. Whether it’s determining which sneakers to push each season, or which athlete to photograph for our advertising campaign, there is something new to learn every single day. I hope to be with Nike for many more years to come, eventually working in a regional office – BuenosAires, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro. For fun, I plan to keep up my soccer, surfing, and boxing training.

Also, being a new addition to the Latino Leadership Team at Nike, I look forward to planning events at our campus in Beaverton, just like we planned events at the Bloomington campus. If you have any questions or want to say hola, please e-mail me at .