November 3, 2023
Students in the Sport Management program in The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies enjoyed several recent opportunities to explore potential career paths within the New York Mets organization.
“St. John’s University and the NY Mets have a long history both on, and especially off, the field,” said David P. Hedlund, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Chair, Division of Sport Management. “Students who intern with the Mets have exceptional experiences and are well-prepared for full-time work opportunities in sports. That’s even more obvious when you see how many students eventually earn job opportunities within and across the Mets organization.”
On September 5, representatives from Los Mets, their Latinx employee resource group, spent the day on the University’s Queens, NY, campus. They visited several Sport Management classes and set up a tent outside of University Career Services to chat with students about their upcoming Latinos in Sports panel.
The panel, held on the evening of September 15 at Citi Field, provided students with the opportunity to hear from industry professionals representing Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and National Football League, and celebrate the contributions Latinos have made in sports. Included with admittance to the panel were tickets to watch the Mets play the Cincinnati Reds.
“Attending the Latinos in Sports panel was an incredibly enriching experience for me as a St. John’s student and aspiring professional in the sports industry,” said Sebastian Baldera, a junior in the Sport Management program. “The insights and perspectives shared during this event have profoundly impacted my journey. Being able to listen to the practical advice and career insights shared by the panelists was invaluable. They offered guidance on networking, internships, and skill development—all of which I have since implemented in my journey toward a sports-related career. Hearing about their experiences helped me map out my own path and set achievable goals.
Setting a path to your dream career and speaking to people already established in the field can be helpful. No one knows this better than Jimmy McCarthy ’18CPS, Inside Sales Manager for the Mets. Mr. McCarthy used a connection he made while a student at St. John’s to begin his career at the Mets as an intern.
On September 28, he represented the Mets at the University’s Fall Career Expo. A long line of students gathered to share their backgrounds and résumés with him, as well as learn more about potential internship and full-time opportunities.
That evening, students from the Sport Management Association attended a Q&A session with the Mets’ Inside Sales Department at Citi Field. They were provided with helpful information on the value of internships and seeking mentorship, what a career in inside sales involves, and how to navigate networking and searching for a job. Some key takeaways from the session included the importance of remaining authentic during interviews and asking relevant questions, using LinkedIn to network with industry professionals and hiring managers, and taking a proactive approach to the job search by seeking out student associations and taking advantage of St. John’s Career Services and the University’s robust alumni network.
St. John’s University’s Career Services team continues to promote events and current openings for students across the University, in the hope that they can make connections and map their own path. “Networking with industry professionals and securing experiential learning opportunities in a desired field can be just as important as completing college coursework,” said Ada Nunez Urena, Director, Employer Relations, Collins College of Professional Studies. “One of the benefits of seeking out opportunities while still in college is that students get to actively engage with course material in a real-world context, all while exercising soft skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. These are the things that not only make individuals stand out to future employers as a prospective candidate, but also provides them with the opportunity to discover where their passions and skillset can be best used within an organization.”