A Q&A session with Rail Riders intern and Wilkes-Barre Alumnus, Kerry Meyers; asking the questions future students and interns need to know
Strategic Communications sat down with Penn State Wilkes-Barre Alumnus, Kerry Meyers, currently a Marketing Intern with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Rail Riders, to ask him questions future interns will certainly benefit from.
SC:Kerry, thank you for your willingness to speak with us about your experiences. Tell us, as a marketing intern with the Rail Riders, what does your role entail?
KM: I assist with the planning of community and charitable outreach events for the Rail Riders. I’m responsible for setting up and organizing luxury suites for every home game. During our office hours, I reach out to businesses for donations and sponsorships and I help sell promotional items for different events during the games.
SC:Being a corporate communications graduate, your degree can take you in many directions, what is your ultimate career goal?
KM: My ultimate career goal would be to work for a college or professional sports organization. Having the opportunity to work for the Rail Riders this summer has really showed me that the sports industry is where I belong. Growing up and being involved in sports my whole life makes it easier to wake up in the morning and go to work.
SC: What activities were you involved with during your time on campus?
KM: Throughout my time at Penn State Wilkes-Barre I was involved with different on campus activities. I was a part of Lion Ambassadors, Blue White Society, THON, and participated on the baseball team. Having the opportunity to be a part of these activities allowed myself to meet new people and to get me out of my shell. That’s what it’s all about when you go to college; it’s to meet new people and make new friends. Being a part of these different groups allowed me to make friends with people all throughout campus.
Being able to play baseball is truly what I credit with getting me to graduate college. Not everyone in the world has the choice to be able to play a sport in college at any level. So, to be able to do it while getting a degree meant a big deal to me. The sport of baseball really taught me a lot when I was a student at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. It helped push my academic career along because if I wasn’t performing in the classroom, I wasn’t going to be able to play. The program as a whole has come a long way since my first two years on campus.
Baseball coach Mike Tierney and I have had a weird journey. My freshman year we played together on the team, my junior year we coached together for Wyoming Area High school’s freshman baseball team, and he coached me my last two years of collegiate baseball. Mike is an energetic guy who I have had the opportunity to learn from the past three years. He knows the game through and through and knows how to push and get the best of his players. My final year playing we were able to achieve the first winning season at Penn State Wilkes-Barre in over two decades. Being a part of a program that has had ups and downs and to leave it on a high note is humbling experience for me.
SC: How do you feel Penn State Wilkes-Barre prepared you for your internship?
KM: I have to give a lot of credit to career services, corporate communications professor William Bachman, and advisor Gail Stevens. Career services helped me out a lot when I was designing my resume and cover letter. Everyone in that department is willing to help you with anything you ask them for. Mr. Bachman was one of the first teachers I had the opportunity of being taught by my first year as a student at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. His speech class taught me how to project my voice and techniques to use when giving presentations in front of people. I had the pleasure of meeting Gail through SSS which is the Student Support Services. Any help I needed with scheduling classes and just personal advice, she was always willing to work with me and help me along my academic journey. Penn State Wilkes-Barre, being a small campus, allowed me to gain access to staff members and to have the opportunity to learn on a more personal basis then you see at the larger campuses.
SC: What advice would you give students about internships and majors?
KM: Do as many internships as you possibly can before you graduate school. Internships will allow you to gain that work experience and help prepare you for your career.
When deciding on what your major should be you should really take your time to think about it. I started out wanting to be an engineering student and switched to communications my third year in school. Talk to professors about what your interests are to see if they can help you find what you are looking for. Most of the professors have had jobs in different fields before starting to teach so they know a thing or two about the real world.
A lot of people ask me why I chose Penn State Wilkes-Barre over going to University Park. I actually would lie about where I was from so people wouldn’t look at me like I had three heads. I finally learned that it doesn’t matter where you are from and it doesn’t matter what school you pick to go to. College is what you make it out to be, no matter the location and size of your school. Pick a school that best fits your personality and needs, and you will be set for the rest of your college career.
SC: Finally, what advice would you give your younger self?
KM: Don’t be afraid to try new things, listen to what others have to say, work hard at whatever your job is, and don’t be scared by rejection.