At the University of Oklahoma, students don’t need to wait until they’re older to get involved with their passions. For students who come to college to learn what it’s like to work in sports television, there’s Sooner Sports Pad, a talk show broadcasted live on Mondays during the school year from OU’s very own Gaylord Hall.

Sooner Sports Pad is run by students with the guidance of staff and faculty mentors, who do their best to instruct while staying out of the way to allow students to learn and grow. Every aspect of the show–from lights to sound to cameras–is run by teams of OU students ranging from freshman to seniors.

“It’s a live sports talk show here at Gaylord,” says Ameer Shahid, a freshman from Phoenix, Arizona, who is majoring in sports management and is also considering a minor in sports journalism. “We have a crowd there so it’s pretty fun. We also have special guests and [we] get to have a good discussion about sports.”

Ameer has already gained valuable experience on the Sooner Sports Pad team. When choosing a college, he felt that OU was special because he could benefit immediately from hands-on, on-campus activities like Sooner Sports Pad.

“What made me choose OU were the programs and opportunities,” he says. “At other universities, you have to wait until your junior year. That’s what really separated OU from the rest.”

Though he’s only a freshman, Ameer already has an important role on the Sooner Sports Pad team.

“I’m in charge of the lights,” he says. “I collaborate with faculty and peers to check the lighting and make sure all the equipment’s in the right spot and there are no shadows or other problems.”

Ameer is just one example of the many ambitious students who benefit from the innovative programs at the University of Oklahoma. Sooner Sports Pad and programs like it give students opportunities that provide them with knowledge, experience and advantages as they move toward their futures.