Having Double the Fun with Club and Intramural Sports

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been a competitive athlete. I played almost every sport growing up including soccer, softball, swimming, track and field, cross country, gymnastics, dance, and more. Whether it was watching the Tennessee Volunteers on TV or having my dad pitch to me in Little League, sports have always been a significant part of my life and an important component further connecting my family. Because of my investment in sports, I knew I wanted to continue playing sports in college.

My dad has been very influential in my love for sports. He played sports all throughout his life and for the past fifteen years has been coaching different levels of sports teams. During my junior and senior year of high school, I was the team manager for my dad’s lacrosse team. It was honestly the highlight of my high school career. I had the time of my life being the coach’s daughter and being in charge of the game day book with all of the players’ stats. I started practicing with the girls’ team and attended lacrosse clinics. I picked up the sport relatively quickly and just fell in love with it. 

The girls’ team head coach gave me all of my lacrosse gear, I just needed a team to play for. My dad really wanted me to play for the women’s varsity lacrosse team, but with my very busy schedule and other priorities, it just was not a realistic commitment for me. During the Student Involvement and Activities Fair of my freshmen year, I discovered the women’s club lacrosse team table. I immediately put my name down and could not wait to share the exciting news with my dad.

Playing on the women’s club lacrosse team at Bloomsburg has been a lot of fun. We play year-round, practice about two or three times a week, and compete against other women’s club lacrosse teams on weekends. We usually play against Bucknell, Lafayette, Towson, Lehigh, and more. We got new and sharp looking uniforms last year and did a team photoshoot in them. I always wanted to be a part of a media day, and the pictures turned out great. 

My freshmen year I started out playing midfield and then got moved to attack. We do not have coaches; instead we have team captains who run the practices, schedule our games, and an executive board who takes care of everything in between. We have fundraiser events which are always fun to be a part of. I'm happy to be a part of a team with other females who love lacrosse as much as I do.

This past semester, Bloomsburg's Intramural Sports Office offered powder puff. For those who don't know, powder puff is women’s flag football. As soon as I saw that, I knew I had to get a team together and sign up right away. I've been wanting to play powder puff ever since I was in high school. The perfect opportunity finally presented itself during my senior year. I recruited some of my friends to play and got enough friends to have a team. 

Our team’s name was the Blitz Babes. We only needed four girls on the field to play, and that’s exactly what we had. Even without any subs or extra girls, we were able to play a full season and even made it to the championship playoff game. We won! It was such an exciting game going all the way into double overtime. My team scored the winning T-shirts, which I have been wanting for quite some time now. This has been one of the highlights of my college experience.

— Lillie Corino, a senior business administration and communication studies major at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg with an emphasis in management and organizational communication, is interning with the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications this fall. She's a native of Bucks County who enjoys spending time with her family, pets, ESA, watching Friends, seeing Morgan Wallen in concert, playing lacrosse, and going shopping with her mom.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

Where will your internship take you?

Internships are one of the most important and invaluable experiences you could have as a college student. They give you a glimpse into what working in the real world is like. In my opinion, the more internships you have, the better off you’ll be. It’ll make you so much more marketable when it comes time to looking for a full-time job after college. Having an internship sets you up for great success. If you want to get the most out of college, take on opportunities that come along the way, and learn as much as you can, then you will make time to work as an intern, whether that is during the summer or the semester.

During the spring and summer of my junior year of college I worked as a sport management intern for the Philadelphia Phoenix. The Phoenix are a professional Ultimate Frisbee team based in Philadelphia and compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA). During my time with the Phoenix I participated in weekly meetings, attended and worked promotion events, assisted client and ticket services, helped with game day responsibilities at home and away stadiums, ensured customer data and information, aided in ticket sales and merchandise sales, assisted in creating content for the team’s social media page, and much more. I had such a blast working for the Phoenix and am so glad I had such a positive first internship experience.

I was presented with the opportunity to travel with the team to their away games, including internationally. I traveled with the team to their double header in Canada, which was my first time out of the country! The Phoenix played Toronto on the first day and then traveled to Ottawa to play Montreal on the second day. Both games yielded victories, and the Phoenix returned to Philadelphia triumphantly! I was able to expand my technology skills and create content for the team. I even made a commercial spotlighting the interns, who included Mo’ne Davis, famous former Little League World Series pitcher. In the team’s fourth annual live NBC Sports Commonwealth Cup game against the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds, we won! That was also my first time making it on television, even if it was only for a glimpse!

Over this past summer, I was a ticket sales intern for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. They are a professional ice hockey team that competes in the American Hockey League (AHL). Their home rink is the PPL Center in Lehigh Valley, PA. I really wanted to work for the Phantoms, especially after going to my first game on New Year’s Eve with my family. That was such a fun and memorable night. I was the first and only ticket sales Intern they have had, and I hope they continue with the internship program because it really opened my eyes and showed me what it’s actually like working on the business side of sports in the off-season.

My commute was over three hours round-trip, and I was working regular contract hours like the other sales representatives in person from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If I’m being honest, these were some of the longest days of my life. It was a lot having an internship, working another job, and taking multiple summer classes. Most 21-year-old college girls’ summers do not look like mine, but to me it’s worth it because I know that the sacrifices I make now will pay off in the long run.

As a ticket sales intern, my day-to-day life on the job looked very similar. I made over 40 outbound sales calls per day, conducted research on local businesses, and participated in weekly meetings across different departments. Two things I value most are consistency and structure, and this job gave me that. On my first day, I was already doing role plays ... and before I knew it ... I was on the phone talking to single game buyers. Every time I picked up the phone, I felt a mix of emotions between nervousness and excitement because I did not know what the other person was going to say or how they were going to respond to me. I always made sure I was prepared with the proper materials and information and was armed with my critical thinking skills. Some calls went better than others, but over the course of two weeks I gained 22 new leads. 

My boss was ready to hire me after he saw that.

Connections mean everything in the workforce. If you prioritize networking and make strong connections, securing a job will be much easier than applying for a job and being one of thousands of applicants. I got both of my internships through connections, and I’m very fortunate to have great people in my life who are supportive, uplifting, and encouraging. Both internship experiences were very different from each other, but that made them all the greater.

It's important to diversify your experience, so you find out what you like and dislike about the job before going into the real world and trying it out for the very first time. Some companies will even hire you as a full-time employee after graduation if you do a really good job and they feel that you are a good fit for the company. It’s like an audition in a way.

How great would that be to have an internship that turns into a full-time job? You just never know where it could lead you, so make the most of every internship opportunity.

— Lillie Corino, a senior business administration and communication studies major at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg with an emphasis in management and organizational communication, is interning with the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications this fall. She's a native of Bucks County who enjoys spending time with her family, pets, ESA, watching Friends, seeing Morgan Wallen in concert, playing lacrosse, and going shopping with her mom.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

Helping Shelter Animals Find Their Furever Homes

 

I’m a big animal lover, and my love for animals has inspired me to branch out and help the animals within the Bloomsburg community. I’ve been a part of the Students Saving Shelter Animals (SSSA) Club at Bloomsburg since the first semester of my freshmen year. As I was walking through the Student Involvement and Activities Fair, I came across the SSSA table and couldn’t believe that such an organization existed. I was so happy to know that there are other college students out there like me who want to help animals in need. We meet on a bi-weekly basis, and our meetings are always centered around animals and coming up with new ways we can help the animals within our community. Our executive board team is senior heavy, so we could really use younger members to keep the SSSA Club thriving for years to come.

That's a call for you, the reader, to join!

I wanted to be as involved as possible within the club, so when the executive board elections came around, I was excited to have been nominated for a position. Last year I was elected the new Event Coordinator for the SSSA Club! I pitched a new idea that has been quite successful. I suggested that each club member or Bloomsburg resident donates any new or lightly used towels, blankets, or sheets to the Danville SPCA. That way they are not wasting their blankets and towels and are putting them to the best use possible. There are donation boxes in most of the residential dorm halls at Bloomsburg for students to put their towels and blankets.

We also collaborated with the Honors College, and they’re allowing Honors students to get service hours for their donations. It’s a win-win situation all around! The shelter animals depend on our love and affection to get through their time at the shelter. Unfortunately, some animals are there a lot longer than others, and those are the animals that need the most love and support.

I’ve been volunteering at the PSPCA Danville Center for over a year now. I go to the shelter monthly to help staff with whatever they need for the day. I usually spend time taking the dogs on nice long walks and playing with the cats in the cat room. The dogs do not care what the weather is; they’ll happily walk even in rain or snow. There are also gated yard areas at the shelter where I take the dogs to let them run around and play and have more space. It always fills my heart to see them happy. They are so desperate to get outside of their kennels and get some fresh air. Investing my time in them is the least I can do. If I can make even one animal’s day and time at the shelter a little better, then my time there is worth it. I love going into the shelter and seeing all of the animals’ names fill up on the adoptions for the month. That’s how it should be. I hope that each animal in the shelter finds their furever home with the best family!

— Lillie Corino, a senior business administration and communication studies major at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg with an emphasis in management and organizational communication, is interning with the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications this fall. She's a native of Bucks County who enjoys spending time with her family, pets, ESA, watching Friends, seeing Morgan Wallen in concert, playing lacrosse, and going shopping with her mom.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

Academic Excellence and Personal Growth: Life in Honors College

Being an Honors student has always been important to me and has helped shaped me into the young, independent, driven young woman I am today. I take pride in my academic achievements and awards, as they are some of my greatest accomplishments in my academic career. Being in the Honors College is a privilege and something I don’t take lightly. It’s also not as scary, intimidating, or intense as it may seem. If you are gifted academically, you will find the Honors College to be more rewarding and beneficial over all else. There are requirements to being in Honors, which I believe holds me to a higher standard and sets me apart from my classmates.

I’m so glad that while in my senior year of high school I chose to be in the Honors College at Bloomsburg. I attended a private high school in New Jersey, and I was in the National Honors Society. When it came time to apply to colleges, I knew I wanted to go to a school that had an Honors program. I got accepted into other Honors Colleges at other universities, but I knew the second I stepped foot on Bloomsburg’s campus that this was going to be my second home for the next four years. My grandfather had never been to Bloomsburg, but on Thanksgiving Day of 2021, he told me he thought Bloomsburg sounded like the best fit for me. Fast forward to February of 2022, on the night of his funeral, I came home and paid my deposit for Bloomsburg. He was one of the most influential people in my life, and I knew he was leading me in the right direction. I know I would not be the same person, student, or professional had I picked a different school.

I’m a senior RA in Lycoming Hall, home of the Honors College. This is a full circle moment for me because it felt like just yesterday, I was living in Lycoming as a freshman. In my opinion, Lycoming is the nicest, cleanest, and best place to live on campus. My residents are all driven academically, and I’ve been enjoying watching them succeed. I also wrote my Honors Minor High Impact Experience on being an RA, and I’m so glad I did because I could reflect on how my leadership role has morphed over the past few years. As an RA I host monthly programs for residents, but as an Honors student I get to enjoy attending Honors events each semester. One of my favorites was the “Smarty Plants” event where I got a succulent and decorated its pot. It brings happiness to my dorm room.

Community service has always been important to me. It’s a selfless act, reaching out and helping those in need. A requirement of being in Honors is completing a certain amount of service hours per year. I’ve been doing community outreach for a while now, and it is one of my favorite things to do. In high school, I would write happy messages and attach them to flower vases that were distributed to the homebound in my church community. Sometimes they would write me thank you notes back expressing their appreciation. Even though I never got to meet the recipients, it made me feel really good knowing I brought joy to someone’s day. I’ve been volunteering at the SPCA in Danville for over a year now. If I’m being honest, this is one of my favorite parts of my college experience. I love spending time playing with the cats and taking dogs on nice long walks. The animals desperately need love and attention, and I have plenty to give them during their time at the shelter. This is something that always warms my heart.

My very favorite class I’ve taken so far at Bloomsburg is Honors Critical Reasoning Seminar on Mindfulness and Well-Being. That class was exactly what I needed during the fall semester of my junior year. Fall of 2024 was one of the most challenging times of my entire life due to family and medical reasons, housing arrangements, and just life in general. This class helped me in more ways than I can even count and gave me the proper resources and tools to improve my physical, mental, emotional health and my overall well-being. My class took a trip to the BodyWorks Wellness Studio in East Stroudsburg, and I have to say that was a life-changing experience for me. I did salt therapy for the first time ever and that was very relaxing. The Honors classes are different from regular classes, but in a good way. They are more discussion based and hands on, and I appreciate that kind of learning.

This semester, I’m completing my Honors Capstone Project on “Women in Sports.” I chose this topic as it relates to the foundation of the internship I had over the summer working as a Ticket Sales Intern for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, a professional ice hockey team. When I was researching topics to write about, I knew I also wanted to make it personal and relatable in some aspect. As an intern for a professional sports team, even though it was only for a couple weeks, I was a woman working in a male-dominated industry. I want to dive even deeper into this topic and educate myself and others more. I’m currently in the process of researching and writing my scholarly paper. After I complete my paper, I’ll then create a poster that I’ll present at the Honors reception in early December. I’m very excited to see how it comes out on the big canvas. This is my last major project for Honors, and I intend to make it notable!

Something I value most about being in Honors is the like-minded individuals I’ve met along the way. Even though my friends in Honors are in different majors than me, they have the same academic goals of achieving excellence by making the Dean’s List or President’s List each semester. I’ve discovered we have similar values and drive to getting to where we want to be. Some of my good friends I met during my freshman year through the Honors College, and I hope to stay close with them after I graduate in May. The Honors College has pushed me to better myself academically, professionally, and personally, and I am forever grateful for this amazing opportunity.

— Lillie Corino, a senior business administration and communication studies major at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg with an emphasis in management and organizational communication, is interning with the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications this fall. She's a native of Bucks County who enjoys spending time with her family, pets, ESA, watching Friends, seeing Morgan Wallen in concert, playing lacrosse, and going shopping with her mom.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

Wallie and Me Take on College

Having an emotional support animal (ESA) is one of the greatest gifts in my world. I've had my ESA with me at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg from the first day I moved into Lycoming Hall my freshman year. His name is Wallie, whom I named after my favorite country music artist, Morgan Wallen. Wallie is a very soft, fluffy, happy, playful, and spoiled bunny. 

But above all else, he's my furry best friend. 

Having Wallie with me throughout my college years has made my experience so much more memorable, meaningful, and healthy. I couldn't imagine going through college without him.

My days at Bloomsburg are better, brighter, happier, and more fulfilling because of Wallie. He wakes me up early every morning so he can eat his pellets, which is his favorite meal of the day. Then, we eat lunch together. I normally eat a sandwich from Husky Lounge, and he eats a fresh, organic gourmet salad that I prepare for him. 

We spend a lot of time together in between my classes, internship, RA responsibilities, club meetings, and lacrosse practices. He has a very spacious, nice area set up in my room full of his blankets, plush beds, treats, toys, tunnels, his hay and water, and more. He's very happy living in Bloomsburg. 

Wallie is my faithful and loyal companion and has been with me throughout everything I've been through and experienced at college. Together, we embrace what it truly means to be a Husky.

When I was in my senior year of high school, I knew I wanted to bring an ESA with me to school. Ever since I was born, I've been living in a house full of pets. I currently have seven pets at home, including cats, dogs, and fish. I have a very close and tight-knit family, and we're all big animal lovers. 

I knew moving hours away and being on my own would be a tough transition going from what I had had for the past eighteen years to being in a small room by myself. I wanted to bring a part of my home with me to provide me with comfort, love, and emotional support. Wallie is the perfect ESA to have with me away at school. He's super easy going, adaptable, loving, and is just happy to be around me. 

We have an extremely close connection and an unbreakable bond. We've been inseparable since day one. He is very smart for a bunny and is in-tune to my feelings and emotions. When I'm happy, he hops around and jumps in the air and plays with his toys, but when I'm upset, he thumps and makes it known that he understands and is in sync with me.

After I was set on bringing Wallie, it was time for me to contact the university disability services (UDS) office on campus to get the ESA approval process started. Bloomsburg does allow approved ESAs to live with residents on campus, which is really amazing. This was another reason I chose to go to Bloomsburg because I knew I would be able to have Wallie with me. 

There are some schools that don't allow you to have animals on campus, so it's important to figure that option out before committing to college. Some people might not know what an ESA is or that Bloomsburg allows approved ESAs on campus, which is why I want to share my story and spread the word so more people can benefit from having an ESA with them. 

Having Wallie with me at college truly has made my college experience the best. If you're an animal lover or have an ESA you want to share your college experience with, know that it's a possibility.

Erin Heidlauf, who is the assistant director of disability services, has been so genuine, supportive, kind, understanding, and helpful to me even before I got to Bloomsburg. She's helped me so much, probably more than she will ever know, and I so appreciate her kindness and willingness to help me. She has helped me with all of my accommodations and has made my time here at Bloomsburg so much better. I hope that more Huskies start exploring the ESA process and are able to reap the benefits of having a furry companion with them to bring some comfort and support during their college years and beyond.

— Lillie Corino, a senior business administration and communication studies major at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg with an emphasis in management and organizational communication, is interning with the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications this fall. She's a native of Bucks County who enjoys spending time with her family, pets, ESA, watching Friends, seeing Morgan Wallen in concert, playing lacrosse, and going shopping with her mom.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

Two Fields, One Future: Making the Most of a Dual Major

Being a double major has between extremely challenging and rewarding at the same time. I'm double-majoring in business administration with a management concentration and communication studies with an organizational concentration. I hope this ambitious goal sets me apart from my peers and makes me a more marketable candidate when it comes to applying for jobs. 

I've been taking classes every single semester, including every winter and summer break, just to be able to graduate in four years. If I remained with only one major, I would've graduated early but knew that I wanted to make the very most of my time at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg. I figured the sacrifices I'm making now by giving up my winter and summer breaks to work and take classes to get ahead will be worth it and only benefit me as I enter the business world.

The biggest strengths I've developed so far are a strong interdisciplinary skill set, enhanced leadership and teambuilding skills, career versatility, better problem-solving, and conflict management approaches. 

I'll carry these strengths and newly developed skills with me into my professional career after I graduate. It's not been a super easy time, being a double major and taking all required classes for both majors, including general education courses, Honors courses and capstone project, communication internship, and more. I've had one heavy academic journey, but despite the scheduling conflicts, I've always found a way to make it all work.

My parents are both teachers, but I wanted to follow a new and different path for myself. I honestly was not entirely sure what I wanted to do or study, but I knew I wanted to pick a major and start taking classes for my major in my first semester. 

I came to Bloomsburg as a communication studies major after declaring my major on Husky Decision Day back in April of my senior year of high school. An alum spoke at one of the sessions that day and said that she was a communication studies major and worked with Eli Manning once. I remember her sharing her story and that was all I needed to hear to know that I wanted to study the same thing. 

Eli Manning is my favorite athlete, and I think it would be the coolest thing in the world to be able to work with him someday too. I chose the organizational concentration because I wanted to learn how to communicate with diverse groups of people within different organizations.

After getting through my first semester, I wanted to challenge myself to make the most of my college experience. During the holiday break, I spoke with my aunt and uncle who are both in the business field. 

My aunt is in the pharmaceutical sales industry and told me she thought I would like sales. She suggested I pursue a major in professional sales and marketing. She's very smart, and I knew she would help lead me in the right direction. After taking my first classes within the Zeigler College of Business, I knew I made the right decision.

During the beginning of my junior year, I had a moment of realization. I did not want to limit myself in any way with being a specific major, so I made the move to something more diverse and applicable to all areas of business.

And that was business administration. 

I chose the management concentration because one day I want to be a leader and hold a higher position within a company and wanted my education experience to best prepare me for that. I really enjoy my management classes and like how they cover different industries such as finance and supply chain. 

My favorite management class is one I'm currently taking. It's a Zoom class — organizational behavior — with Dr. (Darrin) Kass. Even though it's online, he makes it super fun and engaging. My favorite chapter we've covered so far is Positive Organizational Behavior, which is the study and application of positively oriented human resource strengths and psychological capacities in today’s workplace.

In May, I'll be graduating with my undergrad in two different degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) and a Bachelor of Arts (BA). I'm also considering pursuing a Master of Business Administration upon graduation.

It's important to continue learning and expanding your knowledge even when you have a full-time job. There's always something new to learn. I'm very excited to see where my professional career takes me and to be a lifelong learner!

— Lillie Corino, a senior business administration and communication studies major at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg with an emphasis in management and organizational communication, is interning with the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications this fall. She's a native of Bucks County who enjoys spending time with her family, pets, ESA, watching Friends, seeing Morgan Wallen in concert, playing lacrosse, and going shopping with her mom.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife