It's just before 10 p.m. on a Tuesday night, when Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers hits his fourth home run in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. He’s just the 16th player to do that in Major League Baseball history. Within 30 minutes, I have him on the phone for a live post-game interview on SiriusXM satellite radio.
I was two years removed from Gettysburg College and this was among the first of many adrenaline rushes on the job. In the four years since, I’ve covered national championships in college basketball and football, traveled to nearly 20 different states, and produced special programming with Mike Krzyzewski, the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball coach, and the team.
None of that would have happened without internships, my Gettysburg College experience, and hard work. As an undergrad, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do with my career. My liberal arts education allowed me to test the waters of many subjects, and it also challenged me with chemistry, philosophy, and statistics.
Most important, I was able to secure internships (for credit) that helped me discern what to do after graduation. As an intern at SiriusXM, I logged baseball games, edited highlights, and saw what life in a radio studio was like. I worked late, said yes to everything I was asked, and made connections that paid off very quickly for me.
At Gettysburg, I learned the value of hard work, and my various internships built on that foundation. Out of my SiriusXM internship came a part-time position during my senior year, and since graduation I was hired full time and then promoted to a management position, running SiriusXM College Sports Nation.
Three of the things that I’ve learned on the job are:
- A watched cell phone never gets the text message returned.
- Double-check the batteries in the recorder. Then, triple-check them.
- Always answer the phone with a smile on your face.
Every day working in sports radio brings some new challenge, opportunity, and experience. I am proud that my Gettysburg education prepared me to solve problems, think on my feet, and work hard to achieve my goals.
Article by Olivia Branco ’10.
Branco, an English major, studied abroad in Denmark, lettered in field hockey, completed the Washington, D.C. semester at American University, worked on G-burg TV, and held internships with USA Weekend, USA Today—and the College’s web communications office. She is executive producer of SiriusXM College Sports Nation.
