ESU Backup Insider

I have always loved sports and am so fortunate to have been able to turn this passion into a full-time career, says Alicia Marinelli M’07, marketing services manager for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, a minor league baseball team in Allentown. “ESU has played a huge role in making this possible.”

Marinelli decided to attend ESU to pursue a graduate degree in sport management when she was offered a graduate assistantship to work with the women’s soccer and softball teams. This allowed her to begin working in her field immediately, while simultaneously taking classes and making the connections that would soon launch her career.

“From the first moment I set foot on campus, I was immediately comfortable, always warmly welcomed by the admissions staff, students, coaches and faculty,” she says.

Joining the Sport Management Club turned out to be a great way for her to network and gain real-world experience while building lasting friendships and fond memories.

“I still go back for the annual Puma sporting goods sale and enjoy meeting the students who are doing exactly what I was doing just a few years ago,” Marinelli says. “It’s a fun way to stay connected and give a little something back to a program that means so much to me.”

Marinelli found ESU’s influence extends all the way to New York City, where she took on an internship at Madison Square Garden working in support of the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers.

“One of my professors helped me get an interview there,” she notes. “The hiring manager knew what a great reputation ESU has, and I believe that influenced his decision to hire me. On my first day, he introduced me to some ESU alumni on staff and I instantly knew I’d be among friends.”

That internship turned into a long-term assignment after graduation, and was a pivotal experience.

Does she have any advice for students?

“Networking is the key to success,” she says. “Your connections to your professors and friends at ESU will help you more than you could ever imagine.”

“I appreciate everything ESU has done for me and am grateful that it continues to be such an important part of my life and career. I will forever be ESU proud!”