Students from Lock Haven’s Sport Management Club recently attended the Pittsburgh Pirates Careers in Sport Night held at PNC Park.
During the event, the 11 students attended a panel, a resume workshop, and a networking session where they received advice on how to start careers within the industry.
Lock Haven students who attended the event were Kirk Stewart, of South Park; Paige Yingst, of Mt. Holly Springs; Ashton Sunday, of Carlisle; Hailey Farr, of Mehoopany; Anthony Crisafulli, of Wyomissing; Abigail Hampson, of Adamstown, Maryland; Emma Williams, of Garnet Valley; Abigail Katrinak, of Strongsville, Ohio; Austin Melius, of Bellefonte; Nadia Baskot, of Damascus, Maryland; and Gavin Furey, of Williamsport.
The Pirates’ executives were from group sales and hospitality, human resources, sponsorships, events, and social media management. They offered students insight into their personal journeys into the competitive sport industry and helpful tips for them to succeed.
“I was able to meet, chat, and connect with Zachary Galia, the director of social media and content strategy for the Pittsburgh Pirates,” Hampson said. “I also got to meet students from other schools like Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), Altoona, and Akron, which was cool because I could be working with them in the future.”
Experiential learning opportunities outside of the classroom is a focus of the Sport Management Club and a main principle of the sport management program at Lock Haven.
“Having these experiential learning opportunities through the club and the major are crucial to the students’ professional development within the industry and allows them to network and create future opportunities,” said Farr, Sport Studies Department graduate assistant.
“The ability to take part in hands-on learning experiences and network with industry professionals is critical to our students’ future success. Thank you to our dedicated faculty who make sure these types of opportunities exist to enrich the academic experience,” said Bashar W. Hanna, President of Commonwealth University.
The students received a look into their future within the sports industry. “The panel offered very helpful advice on how to obtain a career in sports,” Yingst said. “It made me think of what I can do now as a freshman to help myself find a future career in sports.”
“I thought the trip was very informational and helped me put into perspective what this industry can be like,” Katrinak said. “The panelists provided a lot of information that was similar but also very different as they went through their experiences to get them where they are today with the Pirates.”
For more information on the sport management program at LHU, visit lockhaven.edu/sportadmin or contact Peter Campbell, Sport Studies Department lead, at pcampbel@commonwealth.edu.
