Alumna has dream experience at Super Bowl LI

In a span of just nine months, Rosie Langello went from interviewing fellow classmates at Bloomsburg University to covering NFL legends at Super Bowl LI.

Langello, a recent mass communications graduate now studying at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, spent time in Houston with her sports specialization program reporting on different aspects of the Super Bowl experience.

“Each student was at a different event and we transitioned from each event telling stories all around Houston,” said Langello, adding fellow classmates received NFL pass credentials and covered stories from all over the city.

One of Langello’s stories was on cancer survivors who were attending the Super Bowl. However, her most memorable experience was attending a press conference.

Not only did she get the opportunity to sit in a room with the Super Bowl MVP and the only coach-quarterback duo to win five Super Bowls but also got to sit among many prestigious journalists whom she had studied.

“It was my first ever press conference, and I got to be in that atmosphere,” Langello said. “It was surreal.”

Langello’s goal for next year is to be in Minnesota for Super Bowl LII and then to attend every Super Bowl after that. She loves the adrenaline rush and the intense atmosphere of the whole event.

“In 72 hours, I think I got 16 hours of sleep,” Langello said. “I barely ate or drank anything, because I was running around like a maniac. It was so worth it.”

Langello owes her prior experience interviewing athletes and covering events to BU’s sports information office and sports information director, Tom McGuire. That BU experience helped remind her to relax during an interview she had with former NFL player, Chris Draft.

She also is thankful for John Koslosky, instructor of mass communications, for teaching her how to tell compelling stories and report well.

Coming from a family of diehard Eagles fans and as a Cam Newton fan herself, Langello didn’t have a certain rooting interest between the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots. All she wanted was to see a good game of football, and that’s exactly what she got.

“A year ago, I never thought I would end up in Houston covering Super Bowl 51,” said Langello, who will be back on campus March 24 to talk about her Super Bowl experience and how graduate school is shaping her future as a journalist. “It’s crazy what happens when you work extremely hard.”