If you told me four years ago about the position I would be in now as a soon to be Sacred Heart graduate, I wouldn’t have believed you. When I started here in the fall of 2019, I came in as a Communication Studies major concentrating in Sports Media and a minor in Political Science. Since I was a young girl, I dreamed of being a sports reporter, so choosing my major was easy. Aside from sports, I’ve always been interested in politics, hence my minor choice. In my first two semesters, I focused on assimilating to college life and rehabbing my knee from ACL repair surgery I had my senior year of high school from a noncontact softball injury. My goal was to fully recover and play on the Club Softball team here at SHU.
In the meantime, I was accepted into the Student Ambassador program here. I’ve been a member for three years now and I’m so happy to be part of it. The ambassadors played an instrumental role in my decision to attend SHU, so to be on the other side of it now and have that impact on prospective students is so rewarding. I joined Spectrum which taught me so much about print/digital journalism and has immensely helped me grow as a writer. I also got to be a Global Ambassador because I had the privilege of studying abroad in Dingle, Ireland. It was the trip of a lifetime and I truly believe my college career wouldn’t have been complete without it.
Lastly, in the spring semester of my junior year, after much rejection, I was accepted to the Legislative Internship at the General Assembly in Hartford, Conn. where I worked in the Press Department. This opportunity arose in my State & Local Government class when my favorite professor, Dr. Gary Rose, presented us with the flyers in class. I didn’t think it would be a great fit for me at first, but when I learned that there was a media component to the internship, Dr. Rose encouraged me to apply. He also suggested that I upgrade my political science minor to a major, which I ended up doing along with also declaring a journalism minor. I was worried that I wouldn’t have enough time left to complete all the course work for it, but I put my trust in him and I’m so glad that I did.
I got to do a ton of media related projects including photography of various General Assembly meetings throughout the Legislative Session and Governor Lamont’s annual State of the State Address. This internship opened my eyes to the possibility of a career in political media and I have Dr. Rose to thank for this realization and for pushing me to test my limits. As amazing as the internship was, it was bittersweet because I made the tough decision to hang up my cleats and stop playing softball. I achieved my goal of making a full recovery and playing on the SHU Club Softball team for some time, but I feared reinjury and decided it was time to focus more on my career.
The summer going into my senior year, I had applied to a bunch of internships in attempt to secure something for the fall so I could get more field experience. I sent out applications to a bunch of big-name companies like YES Network, WWE, Fox, etc. I knew it was a long shot, but I didn’t want the competitiveness to deter me from trying. To my own surprise, I was accepted to the College Associate Program at Fox News as a production intern for both semesters of my senior year and hope to remain working there after graduation.
The point I want to make by sharing some highlights of my college career is that no one’s path is straight. You can’t plan for the curveballs that life is going to throw you, but you can learn to adapt and adjust. Something I have learned is that curveballs aren’t always a bad thing. You might not expect them, but it doesn’t mean you can’t hit a home run. Clearly by this analogy you can tell that I love sports, especially baseball. I don’t think I will ever give up on my dream of working in sports, but for now I am loving the political media side of this industry and I wouldn’t have known that I did if I didn’t seize the opportunities that were presented to me here. SHU has given me the chance to do so many incredible things, meet tons of great people and mentors, and create memories that will last a lifetime.
College has taught me to keep an open mind, not just in my career, but in all aspects of life. It has also taught me to go after what you want because nothing is going to be handed to you. If I could give any piece of advice to an incoming freshman, it would be to never sell yourself short. Don’t be afraid to try new things whether it’s joining a club on campus, studying abroad, or applying to that internship you don’t think you’re qualified for because at the end of the day, if you don’t believe in yourself, no one will.
