From Court to Camera: Meg's Tale of Leadership and Growth

Host David Magolis interviews Meg on the Campus and Character Podcast about her path to Bloomsburg University and her leadership growth through sports media. Meg, who lives about 45 minutes away and works seasonally as a waitress, explains she chose Bloomsburg after dual enrollment and a banking job showed her she didn’t want desk work. A lifelong athlete (basketball, track/javelin, softball), she channels her interest in sports into media production, working with BUSN on many sports and enjoying camera work, directing, and replay. She is interning with Service Electric covering high school sports in similar roles and is considering a sport management minor. Meg discusses leadership challenges like finding where you fit, goals to narrow her post-grad plans (graduating next spring), her Philly sports fandom, and rapid-fire favorites and inspirations.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back, friends. You're listening to another episode of the Campus in Character Podcast, where we explore leadership stories to inspire growth and connect leaders. I'm your host, David McCollis, and I'm with a very special guest, Meg. Hey Meg, how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_00 0:12

I'm good. How are you?

SPEAKER_01 0:13

Hey, I'm great. Thanks for coming in. We were just talking a little bit earlier. You live not too far down the road, right?

SPEAKER_00 0:17

Not too far, about like 45 minutes-ish.

SPEAKER_01 0:20

And so what do you do down the road? It sounds like you work somewhere down the road.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

I do, yeah. I'm a waitress at the fence, so that keeps me busy when you know, when I mean it's seasonal, so it gets me to the st in the start of school and then at the end of school. So makes finals definitely busy time, but I do enjoy it.

SPEAKER_01 0:39

So what do they have to eat at the fence that you really like?

SPEAKER_00 0:41

We're definitely known for our fish sandwich, but you know, we have burgers, hot dogs, shrimp, scallops, nice things like that. A little bit of everything.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

So, Meg, you're from down the road. How did you get to Bloomsburg? How did you get here at the university?

SPEAKER_00 0:57

That it's kind of just happened, honestly, all throughout high school. I really didn't know what direction I wanted to go, and then senior year came around, and I still there was just a lot of things going on, everything was kind of up in the air. I'd looked at a few colleges, but it was nothing, like no really serious tours. I had come to bloom my senior year for the dual enrollment ACE program, but after high school I took a full-time job in banking, and that quickly showed me like sitting behind a desk like that is not for me. I want something where you know no day is the same as the last, and sports have been something that I really enjoyed, so I was like, well, I'm comfortable with Bloomsburg. I, you know, knew some of the staff, some of the professors from high school, so and it's a close-to-home, like you said, so it was kind of a happy medium, and like I said, I didn't know what I wanted to do, but they had some routes you could go with sports, so I figured I would give it a shot.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

So, why are you so interested in sports? Did you play sports in high school or any time in your life?

SPEAKER_00 2:04

I did. I've played sports my whole life. I did basketball, track, a little bit of softball when I was younger, and it's just I don't know, I've been a very anxious person growing up, and I feel like sports have been the one outlet for me where you know you can focus on the game like nothing else matters at that time, and no games like the last. They always keep you on the edge of your seat, and it's just really enjoyable to see everyone come together and for something common, like everyone's there for the same purpose.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

So, what sport did you play?

SPEAKER_00 2:35

Basketball, and then I threw javelin and some softball earlier in my life.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

So, what position in basketball?

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Kind of all over. My height was kind of in between for our team, so they had me wherever they needed me.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

Now, did you think about playing any sports in college?

SPEAKER_00 2:52

I did. I had some offers for track to come through, but you know, like I said, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some regrets sometimes. I still kind of wish that I would have stuck with that route. But had I done sports, I don't think I would have the time for what I'm doing right now. So in the end it kind of worked out.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

Aaron Powell So what are you doing right now? Can you tell us a little bit about what you're doing?

SPEAKER_00 3:14

I've been pretty busy lately between, you know, the at-home job, but I like last year I picked up events through BUSN. That was a really good experience for me. And then gaining that experience and knowing Dr. Genovese kind of led me into the internship opportunity that I have this semester with Service Electric. So between that and classes and you know, just maintaining relationships in my life, things like that, it's definitely been a crazy semester.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

Alright, so the sports networks, do you cover all sports or just one sport, or how's that work?

SPEAKER_00 3:48

No, we do oh goodness, basketball. Basketball's probably our big basketball and football are probably big ones, volleyball, wrestling, lacrosse, field hockey, men's and women's soccer. Larry might come in and yell at me.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

No, no, no.

SPEAKER_00 4:07

Pretty sure that's it.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Now, what do you do for BUSN? Is there something in particular that you really like doing?

SPEAKER_00 4:12

I do really enjoy camera work, but after I got some experience there, they let me direct, run some replay, and I've really enjoyed, you know, learning all the positions and just gaining the experience. BOSN has prepared me just as much, if not better, than the courses that I'm sitting in every day.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

Yeah, because you get that hands-on experience. You get to actually go out and use the equipment, do the directing.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:35

Telling people what to do on the sideline, interviewing people. It's a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_00 4:39

It is fun, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

Super interactive. So, what else do you like to do besides all the sports directing? Is there anything else you really like?

SPEAKER_00 4:47

I picked up a minor in sport management. I have really enjoyed those classes, so I'm kind of trying to consider if that's also another route I'd like to go. I don't know. Like I said, I've just always enjoyed the world of athletics, so going to games, watching games, things like that.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Now, this is a critical question, Megar. You ready for it?

SPEAKER_00 5:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

Who are your favorite sports teams? I think it's a Philly fans.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 5:16

I'm not a Philly hater, okay?

SPEAKER_00 5:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

I just prefer my Pittsburgh teams.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

Although I don't know if I want to claim the Phillies right now.

SPEAKER_01 5:22

Yeah, the Phillies. And the Pirates are doing better than the Phillies. This happens almost every season. The Pirates early on do really well. Phillies stink. And then as the season goes on, the Pirates just tank and the Phillies start doing better. Fingers crossed. You get to the playoffs and stuff. So yeah, fingers crossed. So if the the Pittsburgh team stinked for me, then I go with the Philly teams. There you go. And that's that's just how it always works, especially in football recently. The Steelers sink. But hopefully they do better this year. We'll see how it all goes. So you are a Phillies fan now. Is there a sport that you like best for for Phillies? Is it like the football, baseball, soccer?

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Football and baseball, definitely. Football and baseball.

SPEAKER_01 6:01

Do you have a favorite player?

SPEAKER_00 6:02

Well, he's retired now, but I'm a big Jason Kelsey fan. I just think he's a great guy.

SPEAKER_01 6:07

Big teddy bear.

SPEAKER_00 6:08

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:09

Doing his broadcasting thing now. His career now, he actually I just heard it actually on the news this morning. His career now is considered a podcaster.

SPEAKER_00 6:16

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 6:16

And we're doing a podcast.

SPEAKER_00 6:17

There you go.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

So you never know where your career's gonna take you. Go from the NFL center to a podcaster to all the other stuff he's doing. He's doing tons of stuff. So you like you like the Eagles, you like Jason Kelsey. They have a season coming up. I don't know. You think in Super Bowl?

SPEAKER_00 6:34

That would be nice. I think Jalen Hurts has some work to do.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

You do, okay. All right.

SPEAKER_00 6:40

They need to get some things under control. But I think you know, they do have a good set of guys there interested to see who else they bring in.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

I think it could happen. It could happen. It could happen. You never know. Well, sports is certainly in the media field. And we know you're really interested in sports, you're really interested in media. But how did you get interested in media? Did you do something in high school? Something that really interests you about it?

SPEAKER_00 7:03

I really did not. I kind of came in blind. My mom went to West Virginia for communications. She was doing some radio, she was working in sports and stuff, but it was never anything we really talked about a whole lot. I was just kind of interested in all the aspects of broadcasting or what goes behind the scenes. I've even thought about like, I don't know, you're at concerts and you see people with the cameras putting the shots up on the screens, things like that. I'm like, that's another route I could take. So just like I feel like it's such it's a career or at least a major that is so transferable and it really does allow you to take a lot of different avenues after graduation. So that kind of drew me to it. I was like, well, if I go and I don't enjoy this aspect, there's, you know, endless other things that I might want to redirect my focus to.

SPEAKER_01 7:58

It does really touch on so many different fields. And I know we're particularly talking about media and journalism right now. That's your major here at Bloomsburg. Do you have a concentration area? What area are you going to focus on?

SPEAKER_00 8:08

Uh media production.

SPEAKER_01 8:08

Media production. And you graduate when?

SPEAKER_00 8:11

Not this spring, but next.

SPEAKER_01 8:12

So you got a little bit of time left. You got a whole nother year left. Wow, this is exciting. You've already done a ton of stuff. And you got a year left. So lots of fun. You've done a lot of stuff. Is there someone that really has played a part and influenced your character to make you into the leader that you are today?

SPEAKER_00 8:29

Ooh. You mean like throughout life or on your life?

SPEAKER_01 8:32

Yeah, just in life. Is there someone that's directed you? You mentioned your mom, you know, she's done some communication stuff. She's inspired you a little bit. Anyone else in your life?

SPEAKER_00 8:41

I would have to probably say my parents. They've definitely been a crazy support system for me, and they've always, you know, kind of pushed me to find something that I really enjoy. Like find where you fit in, find that one thing where you can go to work every day and it doesn't feel like you're at work. Like at the end of the day, it's finding something that makes you happy. So they've definitely been a driving force in, you know, kind of pushing me to want more for myself and be successful.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

That's great that they've done that for you. Well, we're gonna take a quick break. We're gonna come back, we're gonna talk a little bit more about leadership on campus and some of the other projects you've been a part of. So stay tuned. This is the Campus in Character Podcast. We'll be right back with Meg. Are you looking for a smart way to reach an engaged, media-savvy audience? Become a partner of the Campus in Character Podcast by sponsoring the show. Our listeners include students, faculty, alumni, and industry professionals who care about our campus, our student leaders, and the character that drives all of us. When you partner with us, your message is delivered in a trusted, authentic environment, not lost in the noise. Support the next generation of student leaders while growing your brand. Find out how to partner with us at campus in characterpodcast at gmail.com. That's campus and characterpodcast at gmail.com. And let's encourage the next generation of leaders. Welcome back. You're listening to the Campus in Character Podcast. I'm here with Meg and Meg's sharing a little bit about herself, leadership stuff, different things, projects she's been involved in on campus. Hey Meg, I'm gonna touch on the leadership thing again. Okay. Okay. You're a leader on campus. What are some challenges that students face becoming a leader on campus? You didn't just jump right into being a leader right away. You've kind of just taken some steps and slowly built your resume, built your experiences. What are some challenges that you see like other students in your classes facing to become a leader?

SPEAKER_00 10:41

I think it's honestly finding where you fit in, like finding your group of people, get involved on campus and find where you fit in there too, because that's equally as important right now. Like just gaining experience, things you can add to your resume, knowledge, like that kind of that's kind of shaping like is it's helping me find what I want to do in the future, and like I said, like finding people who are there to support me, people who are there to help me grow, being able to watch, like there's a lot of talent here at Bloomsburg. Like I'm like you've talked to a few of them, and just being able to watch what they're doing and what they want to pursue in their careers is really inspiring to me. You see this person taking all these steps, getting involved in all these things, and that's truly what it takes. Like it's a competitive field, so you have to be ready for that commitment.

SPEAKER_01 11:39

What are your goals for next year? You said you have one more year left.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:43

Any goals for next year?

SPEAKER_00 11:45

I would say uh narrow down what I want to do. I'm really still kind of unsure. I honestly the more classes I take, the harder it gets. Because I'm learning more about different things that sound interesting to me. But narrowing down really what I want to do, starting the job search, finding where I want to live. So just figuring out what to do post grad, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 12:16

Yeah. Well, there's a lot of internship opportunities, a lot of networking opportunities. Do you have your eyes on any type of internship or anything coming up?

SPEAKER_00 12:25

Right now I'm interning with Service Electric, so I don't know if that's something I'll continue moving forward. I've learned a lot. They're really great people. It has been a lot for me to juggle this semester, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 12:36

So what are you doing at Service Electric?

SPEAKER_00 12:38

It's pretty similar actually to what I do for BUSN, but a lot of times I'll run camera and I've run replay a few times for them. So we cover high school sports, so it's been neat to especially in playoff season, basketball, going to the bigger games, things like that.

SPEAKER_01 12:54

So so who are you rooting for, all these high school teams around you?

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Middleburg, Middleburg's my homeschool. I think their softball team's gonna do pretty well. You think so? I yes.

SPEAKER_01 13:04

Are you uh going out covering those games?

SPEAKER_00 13:06

I do believe we have one coming up here maybe next week, actually.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

So they're pretty good.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

They are.

SPEAKER_01 13:11

Any other high school sports that are good that you'd like to watch? There's some good football around, good basketball.

SPEAKER_00 13:16

There is, there is. I definitely watch a lot more pro. Um but when we're covering games, I do. I enjoy covering basketball.

SPEAKER_01 13:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

I like the pace of it.

SPEAKER_01 13:25

So I got a question for you, Meg. You've done all this stuff and you got a year left. If you could go back to your younger self, say 15 years old. What advice would you give that 15-year-old self? Is there something you would say, hey, Meg, you should probably do this instead of that, or maybe take this adventure, or is there anything you would tell your younger self?

SPEAKER_00 13:49

Nothing against Bloomsburg at all. I do love it here, but look at look at more schools. Don't be afraid to go away from home. It's okay to be reliant on yourself. I was really reliant on other people, so that's kind of why I stayed in the area, you know, didn't know if I was ready to be away from mom and dad. But just that, like, y'all right, like you are okay on your own, and it's scary for everyone, but like things will play out as they're meant to, and you just have to kind of trust the process.

SPEAKER_01 14:23

Well, the cool thing is, is even after you graduate, you can move wherever you want. That's very tricky. In fact, my story is I stayed at home as long as I could because I was trying to save money, and then I was forced to get a job, and I did. I moved away and then never moved back. In fact, I kept moving further away from home. I always I love my hometown, I always wanted to stay there, but I moved away from it and never moved back. And now I've lived more years away from my hometown than I actually lived in my hometown. So eventually that's gonna happen to you too. Um, you'll move away and you'll say, I still love my hometown, but it's all right living away from it. That's all right. So you don't need to rush it either at 18, 19 years old. I mean, your time is probably gonna be limited in your hometown. So eventually you get to move on. So that is some good advice. I don't know what I would tell my younger self, tell my younger self to maybe study harder. I study, I study pretty hard, but you can always study harder, learn more. So, how do you stay up on all this technology? Talking about learning more. Is there a way that you like kind of stay up on the video editing, on the you know shots that you have to take when you're running a camera? Or have you thought about being on in front of the camera, doing like play-by-play type of stuff or sideline reporting?

SPEAKER_00 15:32

I have thought about it. I definitely the nerves come on when I'm in front of a camera, so it's something I've considered. But as far as staying up to date, honestly, I am horrible at technology. I'll be the first to tell you. But honestly, just taking the classes, like I said, not being afraid to get the experience. The only reason I'm able to know what I do is because there is such an amazing support system here. Also at my internship, people it's okay to ask for help. Like most I have not had an instance here where someone has not been more than willing to guide me, walk me through it ten times. And, you know, this is the technology that we're likely going to be seeing. So, you know, I can tell employers I have this experience, I have this knowledge, and I really owe that to no but I don't know to nobody else other than the staff and faculty here that have helped guide me through the process.

SPEAKER_01 16:27

Yeah, well, that is the reason why we're here. We are here to help people learn. We don't expect you to know everything. Being a teacher in the department and on campuses, you're always just learning. You're learning from students as much as you are learning on your own, and it's just so much fun learning from people like you. And I've had you in class, and I I know you know a lot, and you've had a lot of good experiences, and it's been a pleasure having you here. But we got you for one more year, thank goodness. So we're gonna take a quick break. We're gonna come back with some rapid-fire questions from Meg. Stay tuned, we'll be right back. Are you looking for a smart way to reach an engaged, media-savvy audience? Become a partner of the Campus in Character Podcast by sponsoring the show. Our listeners include students, faculty, alumni, and industry professionals who care about our campus, our student leaders, and the character that drives all of us. When you partner with us, your message is delivered in a trusted, authentic environment, not lost in the noise. Support the next generation of student leaders while growing your brand. Find out how to partner with us at campusandcharacterpodcast at gmail.com. That's campus and characterpodcast at gmail.com. And let's encourage the next generation of leaders. Welcome back, friends. You're listening to another episode of the Campus and Character Podcast. We're here with Meg, and we're gonna do some rapid fire questions, Meg. Are you ready for them?

SPEAKER_00 17:41

I'm ready.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

All right. What is one word to describe you?

SPEAKER_00 17:47

Energetic.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

Energetic?

SPEAKER_00 17:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

I love it. Is there an example you can give us about that? Um You've got a gym-packed day. You've been talking about how busy you are.

SPEAKER_00 17:57

Um just, I don't know. I feel like once I get an idea in my mind, I can I kind of run with it. Like I like, yeah, that's pretty much it.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

Awesome. I like it. Any ideas in your head today? Anything you want to do that you're gonna just besides work.

SPEAKER_00 18:13

Just looking forward to the future. Um you have me thinking a lot about postgrad and what I wanted to do now.

SPEAKER_01 18:18

So got you thinking. You're gonna go home and write down all your goals for the rest of your life. What's your favorite thing about Bloomsburg?

SPEAKER_00 18:25

Um the people. I thought you were gonna say that.

SPEAKER_01 18:32

I thought you were gonna say friends, actually, but I knew people was definitely in your mind. You're thinking about people. So we talked a little bit about TV. Do you have a favorite show?

SPEAKER_00 18:42

I don't I'm not really a big series watcher. Um I throw on sports before bed, that's about it.

SPEAKER_01 18:49

Yeah. Watch the Eagles.

SPEAKER_00 18:51

Or some or some true crime. True crime? A and E. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:54

Any podcasts that you listen to?

SPEAKER_00 18:56

I don't, unfortunately. I'm gonna have to start now.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

You're gonna have to start now that you're on a podcast, you know, that's how it goes. Uh favorite song?

SPEAKER_00 19:02

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

You can only pick one. You can't give me your whole list.

SPEAKER_00 19:07

I'll say Don't Think Jesus by Morgan Wallen.

SPEAKER_01 19:09

Okay. That's a good one. I like it. I like it. Uh what's the best professional advice you've ever been given? Any good professional advice? You worked in a bank. I'm sure people are giving you advice all the time, you know.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

Oh honestly, nothing like sticks out for me, just that like I've heard over and over again um that living in a small town, everyone's like, there's a lot more out there. There's a lot more out there. So don't be confined in like it's a great area. I do like I really do love it here, but there's a lot more out there than what you can find in you know, Bloom, Mifflinburg, surrounding county.

SPEAKER_01 19:57

So there's nothing wrong with that. No, that's true, it's a true story. It's the same with anywhere you go. You can go to New York City and be like, there's more to the world than New York City. Yeah. You know, there's more to it. And so nothing wrong with that. Is there anyone who inspires you? Anyone who inspires you?

SPEAKER_00 20:13

I would say there's a lot of people for sure.

SPEAKER_01 20:16

Um give us the whole list. We'll take more than one. Um if you want to.

SPEAKER_00 20:23

There's a lot of people on campus, honestly. Um, you know, just seeing how passionate they are for the career. Like everyone from BUSN, Adam, Larry, Asa, yeah, Dr. McFarlane's up there. Right. Um, getting to watch Addy, honestly, is I'm excited to see what she does in the future. She's great at what she does. Um, Chris and Mason up in the booth.

SPEAKER_01 20:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:47

Um, pretty much everyone that I've worked with.

SPEAKER_01 20:50

You're working with some stars. Yeah, they're all really good at what they do. I'm glad you're all inspiring each other. That's great. Do you have a favorite pizza place in Bloomsburg?

SPEAKER_00 20:58

I don't even know what it's called now, but TriPi, whatever it's going to be. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

I you know, a lot of people have said that on this podcast.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

It's really good, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:05

But it's no longer a tripod, something else. We don't even know. We'll figure it out. We'll find it out for the next one. Uh is there a favorite place you like to study on campus?

SPEAKER_00 21:13

I honestly am a bedroom studier and I live on upper campus right now.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

All right, so we'll just say upper campus somewhere. Yeah. Mystery place.

SPEAKER_00 21:22

The library's alright sometimes, but library's always good. Then I have to drive down here.

SPEAKER_01 21:26

And you did say you're studying at work one time. So or at internships. That's alright. Sorry. Uh well, this has been a great conversation, Meg. I appreciate it coming on. This is the Campus in Character Podcast, Meg out there doing awesome things. We look forward to her future. We'll have her on next year so she can give us a senior update on what's going on. So, this is the Campus in Character Podcast. If you like this, please go out, rate, and review this show, share with all your friends, and we'll see you next time. Thanks. Are you looking for a smart way to reach an engaged, media savvy audience? Become a partner of the Campus in Character Podcast by sponsoring the show. Our listeners include students, faculty, Alumni and industry professionals who care about our campus, our student leaders, and the character that drives all of us. When you partner with us, your message is delivered in a trusted, authentic environment, not lost in the noise. Support the next generation of student leaders while growing your brand. Find out how to partner with us at campusandcharacterpodcast at gmail.com. That's campusandcharacterpodcast at gmail.com. And let's encourage the next generation of leaders.