UTSA Influences Shape Former Women’s Basketball Player Niaga Mitchell-Cole’s Career Path

SAN ANTONIO – Niaga Mitchell-Cole moved to San Antonio with her family before her freshman year of high school and she’s never left. 

Mitchell-Cole lettered for the Roadrunners women’s basketball program from 2013-16 and gained important experience at UTSA both in the classroom and on the court that set her up for a highly successful career after sports. She currently works as a compensation analyst for SWBC, an international financial services company, headquartered in San Antonio. 

“UTSA has done a lot of good for me,” Mitchell-Cole said. “It’s kind of cliché but I learned how to be a team player. Whatever you’re doing in corporate life, you’re part of a big team with different personalities. The best formula is always to work together to accomplish goals.” 

Born and raised in Tucson, Ariz., Mitchell-Cole starred at Roosevelt High School after relocating to Texas. She was named the district Newcomer of the Year as a freshman and went on to be named first-team all-district three times. Mitchell-Cole averaged 15.1 points per game, 11.1 rebounds per game, 5.4 steals per game, 5.0 assists per game and 3.7 blocks per game in her senior season. She also competed in track, earned a 4.0 grade-point average and graduated in the top-10 percent of her class. 

When it came time to make her college decision, Mitchell-Cole opted to remain in her new city. 

“My family moved here two weeks before I started high school,” she said. “UTSA was really up and coming and was getting a football team at the time. They had a great business program. Just being part of that growth was really a big seller for me. Although I had been in San Antonio for my high school years, I didn’t really explore the city. With the growth of UTSA, I thought I would be able to meet people and see more of the city.” 

Mitchell-Cole double majored in business management and sports, event and tourism management during her playing days, and later earned her Master’s of Education in Higher Education Administration. She twice earned Conference USA’s Winter Spirit of Service Award and considered pursuing a career as an athletics director after building a strong relationship with former UTSA Athletics Director and UTSA Athletics Hall of Famer Lynn Hickey. 

“I always thought I would be an athletic director,” Mitchell-Cole said. “But I realized that maybe that wasn’t for me. I had a real heart for the athlete part, but it gets really complicated on the administrative side.” 

During her time as a student-athlete, Mitchell-Cole had the opportunity to participate in a prestigious internship with Nordstrom that strengthened her passion for the business world. 

“I always knew I wasn’t going to play basketball my whole life,” Mitchell-Cole said. “[Assistant AD for Life Skills] Stefanie Cisneros is amazing. I would always go to her office and went to a lot of networking events. There is a website called Hire a Rowdy Intern with different internships to apply for. I saw the internship with Nordstrom and I had a family member who worked really high up with Nordstrom. I thought it would be awesome and I knew it was a good company. 

“It’s really, really hard to get a Nordstrom internship,” she continued. “I told Stefanie that I didn’t know if I could do it. She walked me through it and gave me the confidence to apply. I went through the process. There was a phone interview then a video interview and then an in-person interview. I had to do a lot of internships and I had never done that before. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done and I learned a lot.” 

Mitchell-Cole worked in women’s shoes while interning with Nordstrom and got to experience a number of different departments. 

“It’s cool the way they do it; it’s very selective,” she said. “You get to see so many parts of the business. Women’s shoes is the highest volume department. They took us to the Austin headquarters and we got to talk to other interns and learn what Nordstrom is all about. I did not expect to learn that much and, being in one of the most demanding areas, I got even more of an experience. I’m super thankful.” 

Mitchell-Cole credits Cisneros and UTSA Athletics’ student-athlete development program with putting her in a position to be successful later in life. 

“I remember being in Stefanie’s office and working on my resume and working on networking,” Mitchell-Cole said. “Those are the things that got me out of my comfort zone. I initially didn’t want to do them, but she emphasized that I needed to do this as a freshman. Just starting early and having those resources and people that wanted to see you do good on the court but also outside the court as well was great.” 

A relationship with Steve Werling, a former long-time lecturer in management at UTSA, led Mitchell-Cole to consider a new career path. By the time Mitchell-Cole had earned her master’s degree, Werling had retired from UTSA and started his own business called Werling Associates, Inc. 

“Steve Werling had taught me compensation and now had his own compensation business,” Mitchell-Cole said. “I had taken one of his classes and it was a Tuesday-Thursday class. I needed the class to graduate, but I missed it almost every Thursday because we were traveling or had games, so I would go in for office hours with him on Wednesdays and Fridays. I ended up working for him.” 

Mitchell-Cole worked for Werling for a year and a half before accepting a position as a compensation analyst at the corporate offices of Whataburger. 

“He told me that I was getting really good and that he wasn’t going to be able to pay me my worth,” Mitchell-Cole said. “He encouraged me to spread my wings and fly.” 

In March 2022, Mitchell-Cole accepted a compensation analyst role at SWBC that she still holds today. It is a position that brings her great professional fulfillment. 

“Basically, I’m the money girl, but I’m not dealing with payroll,” she said. “I’m really determining who gets promotions, offers, bonuses. I’m doing market analysis and working with executive compensation. I make sure our employees are paid fairly and paid well compared to other companies in the market. If I am doing my job right, people are happy and content working for our company and retention is good.” 

Mitchell-Cole still maintains friendships with a number of teammates from her playing days at UTSA. And, with the help of several influential mentors from her time as a Roadrunner, Mitchell-Cole is succeeding in her chosen field. 

“Looking back on my experience at UTSA, it was definitely a blessing,” Mitchell-Cole said. “I’m very fortunate to have had the opportunity to get my undergrad paid for, to make memorable and lifelong friendships and connections, and to have gained the skills that have transferred into my career. I am grateful and thankful for my time at UTSA.”