Maryssa's Story

Hello! My name is Maryssa Cladis and I am a 29-year-old native of Chicago Heights, Illinois. I attended North Central College in Naperville, Illinois where I graduated with my BA in Sports Management and my Master’s in Business Administration. I currently work for the Chicago White Sox in our ticket sales department as the Manager of Client Services.

All my life, I was surrounded by sports. I began playing basketball in the 4th grade when my father encouraged me to try it out. He himself played both basketball and baseball for Valparaiso University while he was studying law. Once he graduated, he coached collegiate baseball and also served a brief stint as an MLB scout for the Texas Rangers. His love for sports was passed down to myself and my brother as we were so entertained by the game. I continued my basketball career throughout college and served as his “assistant manager” for his summer travel team that he was coaching. I was very familiar with the behind the scenes of baseball and basketball. Once I graduated, I began coaching basketball at the collegiate level, as well as officiated high school and collegiate basketball. It was my way to be around the game that I love.

Once I got to college, I knew that my goal was to work for a professional sports team. My preference was between the Bulls and the White Sox, but my dream was to work for the White Sox. Did I know exactly what I wanted to do? ABSOLUTELY NOT!! So, I would attend career fairs and I would network as much as I possibly could so I could figure out if there was a direction I could get my foot in the door with. Finally, I connected with an employee at the White Sox and, thankfully enough for me, he pestered the crap out of their HR department on my behalf. I sent them emails and kept in touch for about two years just updating them on my hopes and directions for a future at the White Sox and finally, the day came! In October of 2017, I received a call asking to come in for an interview for an inside sales position. I was thrilled but so nervous to even interview. Interview day came and went and I felt that I crushed it but was unsure really what they were looking for. About a week later, I received the offer call and panicked. This was my dream job sitting there right in front of me and I was freaking out about making the decision to take it. I think my fear was, “what if I do this and I don’t like it?” I never even thought about being in sales. It was something I was not passionate about whatsoever and I truly didn’t even know if I could do it. But my parents encouraged me to just give it a try as this was my way to get my foot in the door after all. It turns out that that would be one of the best decisions I could make.

Half way through my internship, I was promoted to a Client Service executive where I found my niche. Connecting with people has always come easy to me and this position really highlighted that strength. It was no longer about “sales” but more about growth and I really appreciated that aspect of the job. I continued to work at it, show my initiative and would not be afraid to speak up. This is what got me noticed. My director began giving me some projects so I could hone my leadership skills as my ultimate goal was to be a manager of some sort. Growing up, I was always one who wanted to be a leader and not a follower. I marched to the beat of my own drum and didn’t care what people thought about it. Sometimes this was great and sometimes it got me in trouble. But my parents always encouraged me to be kind and tough. So, I worked and kept showing what I was capable of and eventually got offered the position of Manager of Client Services.

I was thankful enough to have been able to secure my dream job much earlier in my career than most and I was able to do that with the support and encouragement of my family and mentors around me. If there is anything that I’ve learned throughout my time here at the Sox, it is to always be willing to work and be a team player. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind respectfully and be willing to share that knowledge that you have learned with those coming up behind you. My next goal is to grow the representatives on my team to eventually take my position, whether it is here or somewhere else. After all, if my mentors would have never done that for me, I never would have been given this amazing opportunity.

So, never be afraid to be bold. Speak up and don’t apologize for it. Be brave by taking that initiative to push outside your comfort zone. And finally, show your brilliance by utilizing the knowledge that you have received to help those around you. Believe in yourself, because you are strong and powerful!