AUBURN, Ala. – Sunisa Lee's business education at Auburn University will be multifaceted.
A member of the first class of NCAA student-athletes to capitalize on name, image and likeness opportunities, she'll study marketing principles and concepts in the classroom while applying them from Main Street to Madison Avenue.
"I have to take advantage of this opportunity," said Lee, who arrived at Auburn with gold, silver and bronze medals from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. "Nobody has done it before. I want to help be the face of that and help other people in the future know that they can do college and still make money. I feel like it's a win-win situation."
Supported by a management team to handle her endorsements and appearances while also turning to Auburn gymnastics head coach Jeff Graba and assistant coach Ashley Johnston for guidance, Lee plans to capitalize on NIL while balancing the need to rest and recover from the Olympics while preparing for her freshman season.Auburn gymnast Suni Lee with assistant coach Ashley Johnston
"Right now, rest is the main focus because at the Olympics I was a little bit beat up," she said. "Coming here, I was hoping to let my body rest, and mentally as well, because that does take a lot out of me.
"I just want to focus on myself and getting ready for the season. I have a really good team behind me. I'm excited for everything that's going to be coming in the future."
While living on campus and rooming with a gymnastics teammate, Lee looks forward to attending her first Auburn football game next month, an opportunity to blend in and be the sender of cheers for once instead of the recipient.
"It's amazing how everyone here has been so supportive and so welcoming about me coming here," she said. "I know it's crazy to have an Olympic gold medalist come but I'm excited because I feel like everybody here is so nice and the atmosphere is way different than I thought it would be.
Suni Lee's summer schedule:#TokyoOlympics: complete ✅
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 13, 2021
Next 🆙: college@AuburnU (📸 @sunisalee_) pic.twitter.com/kbbEsCxj5H
"A lot of people here know me. I just got here so of course people are going to be excited. Once it dies down, I feel like it will be a little better and I'll be able to do stuff and be able to go somewhere without being called out. I'm really happy to be here."
For years, Lee has been planning to attend Auburn, as she puts it, 'To start the next chapter after the Olympics."
Winning gold in the all-around might make for a few lucrative detours along the way, but the destination remains unchanged.
"I'm just excited to be in a classroom with other people and get that college experience that I've been looking for," she said. "Everybody here is so nice and welcoming. It feels like home.
"I just wanted to have some fun. Elite gymnastics was so hard and there's never any time to have fun or hang out with your friends. Coming here, I can be more free, and I'm just excited to be part of a team."Auburn gymnastics coach Jeff Graba welcomes Suni Lee to Auburn on Tuesday, Aug. 10
As an elite gymnast, Lee competed primarily as individual while representing the gym owned by her coach, Jess Graba, Jeff's twin brother. The Olympics provided a taste of competing on a team, an experience Lee looks forward to at Auburn.
"At the Olympics we had to come together as a team," said Lee, who helped the USA earn the team silver medal. "The team atmosphere here is already really good. When you're here, it's team all the time and you have a lot of people behind you."
It helps that her new coach is the spitting image of her old coach.
"Every time I look at him, he reminds of me Jess," she said. "Jess and I are really close. He's like a second dad. I'm thankful for him and I wouldn't be here without him."
After competing without fans in Tokyo, Lee relishes the opportunity to showcase her skills at Auburn Arena this season.
"I'm the type of person who thrives off of the crowd," she said. "When we didn't have the crowd, it was kind of hard to keep your adrenaline up and be excited about competing because everybody was so nervous.
"Being here has been pretty amazing. I'm just getting settled in. I'm super excited for the rest of the season."
Her Auburn teammates have reached out to welcome Suni to the program.
"I'm excited to be competing with them," she said. "The team has amazing girls and they all bring something to the table. I'm excited for how this season is going to go because I feel like we're going to be really good this year."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer