CHRISTINA MILANO-DAMASKOS ’09

Christina is the co-founder and CEO of Athlon, a youth wellness technology company. She is dedicated to ensuring the next generation builds healthy and happy lifestyles while having fun. After more than a decade in sports, media, and entertainment, Christina embarked on her greatest career calling with her husband and co-founder, Matt, to solve the youth physical and mental health crisis through tech and education. Athlon’s first K–8th grade mobile app, Rallee, builds up students’ physical and mental health skills to help them learn, reset, and live better lives in and beyond the classroom.

Prior to Athlon, Christina worked as a senior sales and marketing partnership director at leading sports and entertainment companies such as Excel Sports Management, a full-service sports and entertainment agency that represents elite teams and athletes, and the Madison Square Garden Company.

Christina graduated from Cornell University with a business degree from the School of Hotel Administration. She lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and loves spending weekends with her husband going for coffee runs, playing tennis, and hiking with their dog, Sterling.

What are some key lessons you learned at Canterbury that have stuck with you throughout your life? 
How to have it all! The Canterbury experience taught me how to balance so many important areas of life around my faith, from academics to sports to community activities. I loved how we had to play a sport every season and how community service was emphasized. School is not just about academics. It is how you learn to make time for things you love and relationships that matter. This was the foundation for how I approached making room for all the things that I loved in college and in life beyond. 

What is one thing you wish you had known or done differently during your time at Canterbury? 
I transferred into Canterbury for my junior year, as I was looking for an academic challenge that would gear me up for the caliber of college I hoped to attend. That was the absolute best decision I made. The only thing I would have done different is join the Canterbury community sooner—I would have loved another two years! 

If you could advise your younger self while you were a student, what would you say? 
Job shadow and network sooner! While taking a variety of classes exposed me to different industries, it would have been helpful to explore what the real world is like while in high school. I had such talented teachers, and their networks of top-tier professionals were probably an email or call away. And, especially at a school like Canterbury, there undoubtedly was an alumnus I could chat with in every career path that piqued my interest. 

In what ways have you stayed connected with fellow alumni or the Canterbury community since graduating? 
I was blessed to have met my best friend while at Canterbury in addition to many other incredible friends and mentors. Every chapter in my post-Canterbury journey has been shared with my best girlfriend, which often brings together other Canterbury graduates. Coincidentally, my favorite faculty mentor was the Athletic Director at the time, Mr. Wilson (David Wilson P ’11, ’13, ’16). It is special now that I have had a career in both sports and education technology, combining both of the areas in which he made a lasting impact on me. 

If you could take any class again at Canterbury, what would it be? 
Statistics! As a sports business professional and, now, a youth fitness tech co-founder, I had no idea how important data would be in my (or in any) career. It is vital to have a deeper understanding of the trends and stories that numbers tell. Data is such a competitive advantage for a business. So, I would love to have a statistics refresher.