“Students get to learn what works and what doesn’t work from the people who do these jobs on a day-to-day basis. They hear about the path to these jobs — because you don’t just walk out of a classroom and onto the set of SportsCenter or the meeting room for the College Football Playoffs,” said Nick Pietruszkiewicz, program director of sports communications and assistant professor of journalism.  

This semester’s guest speakers included NCAA executives, ESPN anchors, reporters and executives, sports documentarians, Sports Illustrated reporters, and more.

Students not only gained unique perspectives about career paths available to them, but also had the opportunity to network directly with industry leaders and begin building relationships that will shape their future careers. 

“Every guest we had this semester offered to follow up with any student who wanted to connect after the event for any reason: to continue the discussion, for feedback on student media work, to give studio tours, etc…” said Patricia Mays, visiting instructor of sports communications.

Emma Merrit '29, a sports communications major, said that Molly Qerim, an Emmy-winning sports journalist and TV anchor, was one of her favorite guest speakers.  

She described her as “inspiring” and an “advocate for women in sports.”  

Although Qerim was one of her favorites, Merrit said each guest speaker shared a consistent message of perseverance and confidence, reinforcing the importance of pursuing opportunities, gaining experience through internships and believing in oneself while working toward a career in sports media.