Over her nearly 21 years at the university, Diana Pulupa (G’10) has become a fixture in Georgetown athletics.
Pulupa is the assistant athletics director for communications and creative content. She’s guided athletes through the intense media spotlight of a premier sports league, advocated for women and people of color to have a seat at the table in a historically male-driven industry, and mentored a new generation of communications professionals.
Growing up in nearby Bethesda, Maryland, Georgetown was always on Pulupa’s radar. She played Division 1 tennis at Elon University and brought her understanding of the student-athlete experience to the Hilltop as an athletics intern in 2005.
Pulupa knew she wanted to work in sports long-term but had no idea how much the field — and her responsibilities — would grow. In fall 2008, she entered the first cohort of Georgetown’s master’s in sports industry management to expand her expertise.
Today, she balances media and public relations, content creation and social media presence, while serving as the primary contact for the men’s basketball and women’s golf teams. This includes traveling with the team, serving as the team’s liaison to local and national media while also ensuring players and coaches are prepared for interviews and media availability. 
Despite the grueling nights, lost weekends and demanding collegiate sports travel schedules, she remains dedicated to the student-athletes she serves.
“When you’re in the athletics department, your time is taken so much on nights and weekends, and you feel like you’re in the trenches,” Pulupa said. “These are the people I would want to be in the trenches with. We all have this common goal of creating the best environment for our student-athletes.”
Get to know Pulupa, how she navigates the grind of sports media, her favorite memories with the Hoyas and why she calls Georgetown home.
Why I chose Georgetown: Growing up in Bethesda, Georgetown was always nearby. I knew the tennis coach really well as a former student-athlete, and I had recently earned my degree in journalism and communications. Coming out of school, I knew I wanted a job in communications and had a background in sports, so it seemed like a nice fit. I first started as an intern at the end of July 2005, and my job has changed so much since then.
How being a former student-athlete shapes my work: When you add this whole other aspect of your life that plays a very big role in college, you learn time management quickly. I was constantly competing on weekends in college, and even before that in high school. Because I knew that life, I was prepared for this job, where weekends really only happen in certain seasons. I try to go out of my way to make sure our athletes know I’m there to protect their time, because being a student-athlete takes a big toll on a young adult’s schedule.
Why representation matters to me: I grew up a Georgetown basketball fan, but back then, I didn’t even realize a job like this existed. Across this role in college athletics, there has historically been very little representation for women, and even less for people of color — let alone both. When I got the opportunity to step into this position, I understood how vital it was to bring that perspective forward and ensure having representation and a voice in the room. Coach [John] Thompson once told me that while I worked really hard, I needed to be louder about it. I earned that opportunity, and I’m going to sit at that table to make sure others who are underrepresented see that there is a path for them too.
My most memorable moments on the job: Winning the 2021 Big East Men’s Basketball Championship was a really special moment, especially getting to watch Patrick Ewing become the first Big East alum to win a title as both a coach and a player. I also loved covering the 2011 Penn Relays when women’s track and field won the DMR [distance medley relay], anchored by Emily Infeld, who went on to be an Olympian. And being the communications contact for the 2011 NCAA Cross Country Championship team — it was an incredibly special moment to watch that program win the second NCAA team championship in school history.