As part of the Rams' celebration of Black History Month this month, the organization wants to inspire Angelenos through stories of its staff and their amazing accomplishments.
Up next is Digital Operations Manager Ana Hoosier.
As Digital Operations Manager for the Rams, Ana Hoosier oversees the team's website, mobile app, and YouTube presence with the help of Joliana Frausto, the team's digital coordinator as well as the entire Rams Studios team.
For Hoosier, it wouldn't have been possible without an impactful meeting with Bryce Isaac.
A fellow Black student in her major at Ohio State University, Isaac quickly took her under his wing when she had no idea what she was passionate about. From there, he introduced her to Ohio State Athletics' digital operations crew, where she met the most diverse group of students "I had ever worked with, both in skill and background. We worked together to sharpen our talents, learned from a lineup of first-class professionals in our department, and we all ended our internships with sports positions all over the country."
"I can easily draw from that time in my life as being the biggest reason I'm working today," Hoosier said.
While that experience was instructive for her future career, it also emphasized the importance of doing the same for others.
"I'm here because people along the way saw potential in me and vouched for me, and I'm doing everything I can to prove them right," Hoosier said.
For Hoosier, the uniqueness of the Rams displays itself in many ways, especially in the way it represents its fanbase.
"Being in such a big market with fans from all types of communities and backgrounds gives us the unique opportunity to sort of fire from all cylinders," she said. "Where most organizations could probably build the persona of their audience and fire off the same message in different ways, our personas would be about six different types with a new interest for each. I think it really keeps this organization on their toes to make sure we are representing the uniqueness of our audience in everything we do. This team is not afraid to break the mold, and I don't think we've ever done the same idea twice. This is the most creative group that I have ever been a part of and there's never a moment this team doesn't have a hand in what's going on in the community. That means a ton to me and means a lot that the organization I work for doesn't take a step without ensuring that the people in our city will feel adequately represented when they come to us."
Along those lines, Hoosier defines Inspire Change in the way she sees it in people. More specifically, someone who sees a problem and addresses it with solutions that stirs others to do the same.
"The importance to this isn't just identifying the problem, it's the actionable steps that define the 'change,'" Hoosier said. "The 'inspire' part is a bonus, it's what happens when your actions lead other people to follow suit."
While there are many ways to celebrate Black History Month, Hoosier encourages doing so by taking action.
"I think a lot of Black History Month celebrations center the struggles of Black Americans, and rightfully so because oftentimes people are afforded the privilege to ignore the suffering that Black people endure in this country," Hoosier said. "But I also think this month is the perfect time to do something about it. What do you do with your anger when you learn that even after pioneering the genre, Black musicians faced unspeakable violence when performing Rock n' Roll in segregated cities? You go stream an up-and-coming Black artist or support organizations that provide music grants to African American youth. What do you do this month when you learn that Black people are much more likely to take on student debt due to lack of generational wealth in order to attend college? You donate to an organization that provides grants to students or you get involved in after-school programs that help high school students submit college grant essays. There are plenty of ways to celebrate the history of my people, and a great way of doing that is by taking action!"
