INTERNSHIP: Born into Baseball and Batting a Thousand
11/20/15
Born into a family of baseball fanatics, Elizabeth Gallo embraced a passion for the sport at an early age. She pursues a degree in communication with the hope that it can place her right where she sees her future: in the world of sports.
This summer, Gallo’s drive and determination landed her the ideal internship for any baseball lover: newsroom intern for SportsNet New York. She gained hands-on experience in TV production and opportunities to mingle with her favorite baseball team, the Mets.
"Before coming to college, I was told that the opportunities are there, but they will not be handed to you," says Gallo. "So with that, early on, I thought about what my passions were and for as long as I can remember, baseball has been one of my greatest."
Since her first year at Messiah, Gallo has worked closely with the Athletic Department. "Before the spring of my junior year, Coach Lightle asked me what I wanted to do in the future and wanted to help me with that process in any way possible," explains Gallo. "I noted that professional baseball was one area of interest and he connected me with a professional in the field.”
During her time with SNY, Gallo observed production meetings for broadcast shows including Daily News Live, Loud Mouths, Geico SportsNite and Mets programming. In addition, she aided associate producers in the edit rooms, screening and logging games.
“I’d write a play by play of the Mets game from the night before,” says Gallo. “If we had feed from the Yankees game as well, I’d view the clip and write commentary on what happened. I would also preview stories that the editors made and make sure the feed was matching up with the sound.”
Gallo immersed herself in exciting opportunities at SNY from Day One. “I was on national television the first day of my internship…how could it possibly get better than that?” exclaims Gallo. “Little did I know that soon after I would be sitting in the dugout with the New York Mets players and coaches…simply a dream come true for a baseball fan, let alone a diehard Mets fan like myself.”
During her time in New York, Gallo acted as a student representative for Messiah College. “I got to meet up with alums, trustees and people from the college who were visiting the city, which helped my professional development,” expresses Gallo. “Being vocal about my internship, not in a bragging way, but expressing my interest in meeting with people, helped me grow my network.”
Exposure to the corporate work environment helped Gallo see through a new lens. “After being in Messiah’s culture for four years, having to be a light in a more secular atmosphere was challenging for me,” notes Gallo. “There were negatives and positives. However, I realized people can see your different by your actions and that difference is Jesus.”
She continues, “I’m not afraid to have conversations with people, especially with adults. That environment can be intimidating but that’s the nature of the field.”
Gallo stresses the importance of her internship experience in helping her grow beyond the classroom. “I could not have been told what to expect on a daily basis from my internship with SportsNet New York,” says Gallo. “I feel that while my professors and the Career and Professional Development staff have provided me with the proper tools, I really had to immerse myself in the internship itself and open up my tool box and utilize the various tools as I saw fit.”
Both early networking and off-campus experiences played a large role in Gallo’s opportunity with SNY. “I can’t stress enough the importance of off-campus internships,” she explains. “Interning at ABC27 with Gregg Mace transitioned me into New York. I learned skills and the lingo for TV production, which transferred over and helped set me apart. Aside from knowing someone from the business, what got me the internship was that they saw that I had other experiences.”
Gallo’s intentionality and ambition offers a motivating sentiment for other students. “Interning at SNY was an experience of a lifetime,” she says. “Being a baseball fan, I couldn’t have even dreamed about such an opportunity. God was smiling down on me.”
-Lisa Monteiro, '17