Sarah DeWolfe ’20 combines passions for communications, sports at ESPN Next

Some college students begin their studies with clear plans for the future, while others explore different programs to discover their passion. Sarah DeWolfe ’20 understands this journey well. After majoring in communications with a minor in sports management at Salve Regina, she is combining those passions at ESPN Next, ESPN’s leadership development program for young professionals.

Finding career passions at Salve Regina

Hailing from Massachusetts, DeWolfe was drawn to the University’s tight-knit community that mirrored the small-town environment in which she grew up. She was impressed by the faculty she met from different programs, and her journey to declaring a major was laborious. She recalled spending hours looking at the list of majors and crossing them out – only to start over once she was left with options that didn’t spark her interest.

DeWolfe was undecided until the second semester of her sophomore year, when she took a sports writing class with Dr. Kevin Esch, adjunct faculty in the Department of English, Communications and Media. DeWolfe notes that she didn’t have much interest in writing prior to the class, but she found herself emailing Esch and asking to go beyond the assigned page limits.

“I’ve always loved sports. It’s kind of a lifelong thing,” DeWolfe said. “I realized I actually like writing about sports.”

Communicating about something she was passionate about changed DeWolfe’s view on writing, and for the first time she had a clear path forward. “I immediately went to my advisor, Dr. Madeleine Esch [associate professor in the Department of English, Communications and Media], and I said, ‘Your husband changed my life!'” she said. She also chose to add a sports management minor.

The opportunities at Salve Regina prepared DeWolfe for ESPN Next.

Laying educational foundations for real-world experience

Once DeWolfe had a clear vision of what she wanted to study, she began to take advantage of extracurricular opportunities. When she joined Mosaic, Salve Regina’s student newspaper, there were no sports writers on staff, and the editors were excited to include her content.

“I was writing five articles a week, which was probably more than I was doing for school at the time, but I didn’t mind doing it,” she explained. “It was exciting.”

The work-study position that DeWolfe had with Ed Habershaw, associate athletic director for sports information, also provided valuable skills. She gained experience calling games, researching and recording statistics, breaking down games play by play and paying attention to emerging storylines.

An internship at Rhode Island’s NBC 10

DeWolfe’s sports media internship at NBC 10 WJAR allowed her to learn how the television industry works from the inside. During the first semester of her internship, DeWolfe watched professional, college and local games while studying statistics and shot sheets and picking out highlights. During the second semester, she learned how to research human interest stories, conduct interviews and write scripts.

“Internships are a great way to network with people in the industry,” she said. “I was in the sports department with three guys that were so nice. It was cool being able to pick their brains – they’re my friends now.”

Standing out at ESPN Next

The hard work DeWolfe exhibited during her undergraduate studies and after graduation stood out during the intense interview process to be a production assistant at ESPN Next.

“The 18-month program is a path to a permanent position, and at the end of it there is the opportunity to stay on board and be promoted to a content associate,” she said. “I’ll be training and working in the studios of different shows at the Bristol headquarters doing things like cutting highlights, pulling from archives, editing digital content and whatever else they ask me to do.”

After three interviews in which DeWolfe showcased her skill, experience and character, she was one of 30 people hired out of 700 applicants. She currently works with SportsCenter at Night, where she’s learning about the fast-paced environment of television and breaking news. She’s now in a program called RISE, which is responsible for creating original, specialty content to be shared across platforms and programming at ESPN.

“The content RISE produces is original and insanely creative,” she said. “They find the coolest video to tell stories ranging from game recaps to weekly NFL previews and player reels. They are also responsible for creating the tease that opens SportsCenter shows, outlining the important storylines and best moments from the night.”

DeWolfe is working under the guidance of mentors who are committed to developing her skills. “It’s all about enjoying the ride and learning as much as possible from your peers,” she said. “The opportunity for growth within the company is really amazing.”

Reflecting on the journey

DeWolfe stresses the importance of experience and networking for communication and sports management majors. “My advice for current students would be to go out and dive into something that deepens your skill set, as well as your passion for your career,” she said. “Real life experience is so important, and any experience can be a resume builder no matter how small it seems.”

She added that it’s important to apply for jobs despite the fear of rejection, and to follow your passions as far as you can. “I never expected to have a job in sports media, let alone at ESPN, but I found something I liked and ran with it,” she said.

Article by student writer Anna Downes ’22