Throughout his time at East Stroudsburg University, diehard sports fan Mehki Williams made it a point to pursue every opportunity to polish his skills, grow his confidence and position himself to one day earn his big break in broadcasting.<\/p>\n
To reach his goal, Williams led his own sports talk show at WESS 90.3 FM, served as the station\u2019s sports director, wrote for the Stroud Courier and ESU Athletics, did play-by-play for Warriors men\u2019s basketball games, and used every class project as a chance to add a new strength to his resume.<\/p>\n
It was a game plan Williams had in mind before his time at ESU ever began.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was deciding to come to ESU, the thing I loved most was that it\u2019s a smaller school and there were so many opportunities to make your mark, so I knew when I got here that I wanted to be aggressive at getting into the positions that would be valuable to me coming out of college,\u201d said Williams, a 2025 graduate with a bachelor\u2019s degree in communication from Bloomfield, N.J.<\/p>\n
The effort paid off. Williams\u2019 drive helped him secure a summer internship with SiriusXM Radio in New York City starting June 16. One of the premiere audio entertainment companies in the United States, SiriusXM reaches roughly 160 million listeners each month, according to its website.<\/p>\n
Williams will work on the production team for Mad Dog Sports Radio, a channel anchored by longtime sports talk radio personality Christopher \u201cMad Dog\u201d Russo. A big fan of Russo\u2019s talent and style, for Williams to now be working with the iconic host felt like a dream come true, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to get up every day, travel into New York City and be around something I love, getting to work with all these talented on-air personalities who I can learn from and see their process \u2013 it\u2019s going to be awesome, and I can\u2019t wait to get started,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Williams\u2019 duties will include running the sound board, editing content, pitching ideas, ensuring on-air talent are prepped for their shows \u2013 many of the same skills he fine-tuned at ESU, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWESS is where it all started,\u201d he said. \u201cI got involved right away doing news briefs my freshman year, became sports director, had my own show, and just built my reputation from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Next, he looked to sharpen his writing skills. He became sports editor of the Stroud Courier, where he covered games, wrote recaps and interviewed athletes and coaches. He followed that up with an internship with ESU Athletics in fall 2024 that further helped his writing and production skills.<\/p>\n
As a senior, he seized an opportunity to hone his broadcasting abilities as a play-by-play announcer for men\u2019s basketball games. Confidence and preparation were key to success in the role, he quickly learned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re on air, listeners can tell when you\u2019re not confident in what you\u2019re saying,\u201d he said. \u201cI make sure that no matter what I\u2019m doing or who I\u2019m interviewing, I know everything there is to know and I read my notes over and over because that makes you confident.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williams said while interviewing for the SiriusXM Radio role, the recruiter noted his heavy involvement at ESU. Williams encouraged other students seeking their dream job to do the same by taking advantage of opportunities on campus that can set them apart from other candidates.<\/p>\n
\u201cESU provided me the foundation to learn how to become a sports journalist working in these media landscapes,\u201d he said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be where I am without ESU for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n