In 1993, the Harold C. Case Scholarship for outstanding
academic achievement was awarded to fourteen students in the Boston University junior class. I was one of two students in the College of Communication and one of two students in the School of Management to receive the
award.
I view this award as recognition of the difficult journey I undertook to become the first person in the history of Boston University to combine a broadcast journalism degree with a business degree.
Although
the university allowed students to pursue dual degrees, it was highly discouraged for someone to attempt to dual major in two professional schools. Some people believed that I was stubborn when I would not accept this.
By carefully planning my courses from the start to satisfy the requirements of both degrees and by enlisting the support of key advisors, I succeeded in four years.
For many years, my claim to fame was
that I had never been outside the Eastern time zone. That changed in 1996 when I flew to San Francisco, but I still had never left the confines of North America.
One of my mentors at AT&T, Bill Kurtz, frequently
stressed the importance of spending time abroad. He spent two years working in Japan for AT&T.
Despite being in a long-term relationship, I considered going abroad. Through AT&T's Financial Leadership
Program, I had the opportunity to spend six months working in Hong Kong.
My fiancee and I arranged our travel schedules so that we never went more than two months without seeing each other.
I immersed myself in
the Chinese culture. I ate the world's finest dim sum. I participated on an AT&T dragon boat team which raced at Stanley Beach. I played the Chinese domino game of Pai Gow in the Hotel Lisboa in Macau.
I also
observed the differences which can exist between cultures. Had I not gone to Hong Kong, I would never have grasped these differences as completely. Experiencing them firsthand made them more real and easier to remember.
At the age of 17, I set a goal that I wanted to be a hockey play-by-play broadcaster. I sought out the advice of Mike Emrick, the play-by-play voice of the Philadelphia Flyers. The point he emphasized
was to make sure I had a backup plan. This was one of the driving forces behind my pursuit of a business degree to complement my communications degree.
While at Boston University, I spent all four years at the
student radio station, working my way up from a News Reporter as a freshman, to Sports Director as a sophomore, and finally to my goal of a hockey play-by-play broadcaster for my junior and senior years.
After
graduation, I quickly learned how difficult the professional broadcasting job market is. The closest I came to landing a position was a second interview with the Jacksonville Lizard Kings in the minor hockey leagues.
Thus, I went with my backup plan, and accepted a position at AT&T. The rewards of that decision have been plentiful, but I did not give up on my dream. I volunteered on weekends to do statistics for the professional
coverage of the Princeton University Tigers. After two seasons, my predecessor Adam Wodon left to take a position with the Quad City Mallards in Iowa. I took over as his replacement, earning my first opportunity to
broadcast hockey professionally. With that professional credential on my resume, I am positive I will continue to be marketable in the hockey broadcasting field.
