Student Spotlight Lauren Fitzgerald

Ever since middle school, I knew I wanted to work in sports. It’s kind of a family thing. My dad works in sports and my brother majored in this field as well. Growing up around it, I got to see all the cool opportunities that they’ve been able to experience. I knew from the get-go that I wanted to major in sport management.

Honestly, though, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to a big school. When applying to schools, I was looking at smaller schools in the tri-state area, but then I realized that a bigger school with a huge athletic department like WVU would provide more opportunities. I applied and visited, and once I saw the campus, I knew deep down that it was the place I wanted to go.

My dad worked both with Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League. He worked with the MLB when I was younger, but I got to see a lot of the work he did with the NHL. He did special event operations, which for the NHL included the Winter Classic, the draft, and those big-name events – he was one of the ones who helped put those together. I was able to go behind the scenes with him, and I was like, “This is amazing.”

My brother also majored in sports and graduated from college in 2024, so he’s still gaining experience as he works his way up. He’s currently with a minor league team in New Jersey. Seeing all of that helped me know I wanted to get involved in sports.

During my freshman and sophomore years, I was volunteering a lot, specifically with WVU gymnastics, because that was my sport when I was younger. I also volunteered at some men’s and women’s soccer games. I knew I wanted to get involved with WVU Athletics in facilities and operations, but they were already staffed for the academic year. But I stayed in contact with them.

Last summer, I was a game day operations intern for the New Jersey Jackals of the Frontier League. I was there for the home games and worked in a whole bunch of different departments – promotions, marketing, merchandise, ticketing, ushering – everything that makes up the operations side of things. I would come in for one of the games, and they would put out a list of what you were assigned for that day. A lot of my assignments were with the promotions team, which I had a lot of fun doing. We did a lot of games in between innings on the field. We’d go up to the stands, grab kids, bring them down, and then once the inning was over, we’d have them go out on the field and play a game.

I had been in touch with them previously from showing interest and volunteering, and then I interviewed over the summer and got the internship. We work with a bunch of different sports here at WVU. For the events I’ve worked so far, it’s only been volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, and football. We come in a few hours early and get things set up. For example, at soccer, we put the flags around the field, get radios to the people who need them, turn on the air conditioning in the press box, and things like that. We keep an eye on the ball shaggers, too, to make sure they’re paying attention.

I worked my first football game against Pitt. It was a pretty awesome experience. Before the game, we went around to each gate to set up bike racks and turning on the security metal detectors. Once the gate opens, we make sure all of the equipment is running correctly and that things are going smoothly for the security team. Once the first quarter is over, we go and break all of that down. Then we get to watch the game from the field for one or two quarters, and then we break stuff down closer to the end of the game. After the game, we help with the ADA shuttles, helping bring people on golf carts to different locations around the stadium.

With the Jackals, I had the opportunity to be the on-field emcee. My supervisor asked us interns if anyone wanted to step in and do it for a series, and I just said, “Sure.” I was proud of myself for doing that because I’m not really the type of person to step in front of a big crowd like that or take that sort of initiative to step up. I did it, and it went well. It really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but it’s weird speaking into a microphone and not being able to hear yourself. But, I’ proud of myself for doing it because it shows growth. I’m not sure that’s something I would’ve done two years ago.

One example that comes to mind is a presentation I did in class about fans rushing the field after a game. What I shared ended up being directly related to the plan we had in place for the Pitt football game. We were concerned students might try to rush the field, and we submitted our plans to the Big 12 to prevent field rushes. I remember taking a video after we won the game, and you can see the maintenance team immediately taking down the goalposts, which is one of the postgame procedures to keep fans from trying to grab them.

Take every opportunity that comes your way. West Virginia offers multiple programs you can get involved in, like the Sport Management Club and the Sport Management Fraternity. We’re always getting emails about ways to get involved, and it’s important to start early. For sport management, the more experience, the better. So take any opportunity that catches your eye.

Obviously, the Division I athletics program is huge. But, in the classroom, every single professor I’ve had or worked with has given me the feeling that they’re truly there for their students. They want to help – not just by teaching the material or giving a good grade, but continuing to support us beyond the classroom. The same goes for my advisor, Betsy Robbins. She’s amazing. She’s always there to answer my questions, she knows the programs inside and out, and she’s helped me make sure I’m on track to graduate. I can just tell that the school really cares about its students.

The pride that every student, faculty member, and alumni has for the school. There’s a sense of pride that everyone connected to West Virginia carries with them wherever they go.