Majid “M.J.” Arjomandi is an associate teaching professor of communication at UCCS. However, many Mountain Lions also associate him with his role as a commentator and announcer at athletic home events.
Arjomandi was a student at UCCS, but he has not lived in Colorado his whole life.
“I’m originally from California, and then I moved to Cañon City in Colorado during my freshman year of high school. I came to Colorado Springs for my first year of college at UCCS and I’ve been here at this amazing university ever since,” Arjomandi said. “I’ve always been a big sports fan! I love watching and playing all sports, but I mostly played baseball, basketball and football growing up.”
His background in sports and as a student at UCCS has allowed him to create a successful career for himself.
“I was initially just looking for a campus job during my sophomore year on the SEANS (Student Employment Assistance Network) website. I came across what I thought was the coolest job ever at the time, which was for an entry level position to work with our department of athletics and event staff,” Arjomandi said.
Arjomandi got the job before working his way up to become a graduate assistant in 2010. This allowed him to take on more responsibilities within UCCS athletics.
“I transitioned into doing some of our sports media and broadcasts for our games. I started doing play-by-play, color commentary, sideline reporting as well as pregame and postgame interviews with student-athletes and coaches,” he said.
A new opportunity arose for Arjomandi when a public address announcer position opened up. “I started with announcing our volleyball games, and then shortly after, I was asked to move into the primary announcer role for all of our UCCS home events,” he said. “This was a huge honor … and still is!”
Reflecting further on his position at UCCS, Arjomandi said he enjoys getting to support UCCS athletics and his teaching role.
“There are so many things that I love about sports announcing and teaching! As a sports announcer, I get the chance to be at all of our home games to watch and support all of our amazing student-athletes,” Arjomandi said.
“I am a huge sports fan and I cheer for the Mountain Lions above and beyond any other college or professional team. So, the fact that I get to announce our games is like a dream come true for me.”
Arjomandi also takes immense pride in his career as an associate teaching professor in communications. “[As a teacher] I’m privileged to work with so many of our incredible students here at UCCS and help them to accomplish their academic, professional and personal goals. It’s the most rewarding career that I could have ever hoped for,” Arjomandi said. “Teaching is my single greatest passion in life!”
Furthermore, Arjomandi said that the enthusiasm that he gives to his athletic and academic career is even greater because he gets to do his jobs as a Mountain Lion.
“The best part of both of these professions for me is that I am lucky enough to do them at my alma mater. I have taught at other schools and announced sporting events outside of our university, and whilst I always absolutely love doing these things anywhere, it’s so very special for me to be able to have my career here at UCCS. This is where I went to college and have spent more than half of my life now,” Arjomandi said.
The love that Arjomandi has for UCCS athletics seems to be evenly distributed and directed toward all teams. “I honestly cannot choose one favorite team because I genuinely enjoy being at each and every game that I announce,” Arjomandi said.
M.J. (left) announces the Women’s Basketball RMAC Quarterfinal on March 5. Photo by Lillian Davis.