Hunter Strafaci on-air for 宾州州立大学白兰地酒's baseball team.
媒体,爸爸. -毕业后两年, Hunter Strafaci is using his experiences from 白兰地酒 to fulfill his dream of being a sports broadcaster.
The 2022 graduate began his Penn State journey in 2020 after transferring from an out-of-state university, majoring in communications with the corporate communications option. He noted he was attracted to 白兰地酒 because of its size and affordability.
“After coming from a very large school, I wanted to attend somewhere smaller and more intimate. I really liked how small the campus was,他说. “Also, compared to my previous institution, it was very affordable. I was also offered the Discover Penn State scholarship as a transfer student, 这对我帮助很大.”
在白兰地酒的最后一年, Strafaci landed an internship with 白兰地酒 体育运动, where he assisted in play-by-play broadcasting for all home sports games. He noted that his first time on the air was his favorite memory he made in his college career.
“In September 2022, I was on air for the first time at a 白兰地酒 soccer game. I had been preparing all summer to be on air — since I started my internship with 白兰地酒 体育运动 in May. 我以前从未做过广播, aside from doing podcasts here and there, 但是没有活的东西,他回忆道.
“I planned to shadow our previous announcer as he did the broadcast so I could learn the ropes, but he told me that I was going to be on air that day,斯特拉法奇说. "I was thrown into the deep end, but I ended up loving it.”
Strafaci said he remembered during his time in college, he never knew what exactly he wanted to do with his communications degree once he graduated. His first time broadcasting for 白兰地酒 体育运动 was very fulfilling for him, as he notes how it helped him understand what he wanted to do career-wise.
差不多两年后, 作为校友, Strafaci is the play-by-play commentator for 白兰地酒 体育运动. 在这个角色中，他要奔跑 白兰地酒田径直播, the department’s live streaming website, with play-by-play commentary at every home sports game. This includes volleyball and men's and women’s soccer in the fall, men's and women’s basketball in the winter, and baseball and softball in the spring.
“The job mostly consists of preparing notes on the players before the game, and during game time I use my notes to keep the broadcast going. A lot of it is thinking on the fly,他说. “我现在也制作广播节目, so I’m responsible for the on-screen graphics, 记分板, 行情及新闻.”
除此之外, Strafaci also does post-game interviews with players at the end of each game to highlight the athletes who are considered “players of the game.” This means they contributed significantly to the team’s efforts in winning. These interviews get added to the live stream and social media pages.
Strafaci said he enjoys every part of his job, but he enjoys the creativity of it the most.
“I really enjoy getting to put my own spin on things during the broadcasts, and I also enjoy the mode I’m in when I’m on air. It’s almost like an adrenaline rush,他说. “I grew up with a dream of being a voice actor — which is still something I’d be willing to do — so when I realized that broadcasting is adjacent to being a voice actor, 这让我更享受了. 上节目的时候我可以做我自己.”
I feel like it’s so important to put one hundred percent of your effort into everything you do because people will notice you that way.—Hunter Strafaci , Penn State class of 2022
When asked what advice he would give to current Penn State students, Strafaci said to put one hundred percent of their effort into everything they do because it will make them stand out.
“If you’re not going to put all of your effort into something, why are you even doing it in the first place? I feel like it’s so important to put one hundred percent of your effort into everything you do because people will notice you that way,他说.
