BY: Randy Dunn
As AUM’s athletics season kicks off, the Athletic Department gives students the opportunity to gain confidence when it comes to their field study so once the opportunity presents itself, they will have experience and knowledge to take to their job of interest. I had the honor to interview Sports Information Director Mr. Matthew Pellegrin, and we discussed the importance of students getting the experience with AUM.
I asked Mr. Pellegrin a few questions and here were his responses.
Q: “How does giving students this opportunity help them graduate with experience with their field?”
A: “We feel like anytime you get to experience something, to practice it, you get better at it. I know when I was a student-worker in an athletics department it helped me learn and grow to the point I was able to secure a graduate assistantship, followed by a full-time internship that led me to my present career. None of that might have happened if I wasn’t given the opportunity as a student.”
Q: “How does it help the department when it comes to hiring the students for these positions?”
A: “It helps the department in the fact that being an NCAA Division II institution, we do not have the staffing that larger schools have. Most of us wear multiple hats and serve multiple roles, but during game days and the day-to-day running of the office, hiring students allows us to give experience to someone who could use it while freeing us up to provide more coverage to the teams and more services to our fans, both in-person and on social media.”
Q: “Is the process for students to get hired at AUM easier if they have previous through work-study?”
A: “Each year, we look for students to work home events in order to make sure we have ushers, ticket takers, videographers, and scoreboard operators. Work-study allows us to hire students to perform these essentials, while also giving them the opportunity to earn money on campus. Not every student is from the Montgomery area or has access to a vehicle to get to a job off-campus. Also, the students get to sign up for the events they work, so the hours are flexible.”
With the University giving students the opportunity for experience at an early stage it will only make the transition after college a lot easier, due to the experience that the students have earned thanks to AUM’s Athletic Department