It’s lucky Sean Gallagher is a nut for “good ol’ American sports.” He plans to live his “field of dreams” this summer when he participates in an internship at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.
“I will be one of four interns working in the Membership Department of the National Baseball Hall Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.,” Gallagher said. “My main job responsibilities will be on marketing, sales, advertising and customer service. I will also be able to get a feel for all the different departments and aspects of the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship program.”
Gallagher learned about the internship on his own, but he had “great help” applying for it, not to mention a little effort he put into polishing his resume.
“I worked on it for four months,” he said. “When I had the resume ready, Dr. Glen Williams and I spent a whole day writing the cover letter.”
It took Gallagher and Williams seven hours and numerous drafts, but it paid off. Gallagher was called for a phone interview and was finally selected out of 250 elite applicants from across the country. He hopes to establish some useful connections.
“I anticipate having an unforgettable summer,” he said.
A native of St. Charles, Gallagher says choosing communication studies as his major was one of the smartest decisions he’s made in his life. The small classroom sizes and emphasis on teamwork in classes have helped him develop relationships with his professors, advisor and fellow students. He says he’s enhanced his public speaking and writing skills a great deal and learned how to motivate and listen to people.
“I think the classes in communication studies do a great job of preparing students to become effective and competent leaders,” Gallagher said. “My time at Southeast has been very balanced and has helped me become a well-rounded person. I've gotten to climb mountains and go white water rafting in Colorado as well as listen to important historical figures brought in by the Department of Communication. Southeast has allowed me to pursue multiple passions.”
Among his passions are running and meeting people from different backgrounds. He tries to compete in at least two road races a year and placed second in the Department of Communication’s own Freedom of Speech run last year. His current roommates, Shinya and Hardeep, are students from India and Japan, and he credits them for making him a broader human being.
In addition to traditional American sports like football, basketball and baseball, Gallagher has recently gotten into more outdoor activities like biking, hiking and rock climbing. But what he enjoys more than anything is participating on Catholic retreats. He’s taken part in numerous retreats and alternative spring breaks through Catholic Campus Ministry on campus.
“These weekend retreats give me time to relax and refocus as well as meet some amazing people,” he said. “I enjoy volunteer work when I get the time, and I find it hard to turn down an offer to play any kind of sports activity.”
But Gallagher’s campus involvement doesn’t end with volunteerism and athletics. He recently co-founded a communication club called Commrades.
“It’s an organization established to promote professional, academic and social enhancement of communication studies and corporate communication majors and minors at Southeast,” he said. “I am serving as president this semester.”
Gallagher will participate in spring commencement ceremonies at Southeast and will graduate officially at the end of his summer internship. Afterwards, he plans on doing a year of service in New York City through an Americorps program called City Year, where he will tutor inner city elementary school students, set up after-school programs and work with politicians and city officials to refurbish and revitalize communities.
Although he has a lot of memories to choose from, Gallagher claims his defining moment in college was in Ireland, where he’d gone in 2001 to study and explore the world his immigrant grandparents left when they came to St. Louis.
“It made me realize the opportunities I have in America,” he said. “My cousins in Ireland can’t change their lives as easily as I can change mine. It made me appreciate what I have.”
Despite his many involvements and obligations, Gallagher has made a point to make time to understand himself, and advises others to do the same.
“College years are all about change,” he said. “What is interesting to you at age 18 might not be at age 22, but if you don't take the time out to get to know yourself, you might miss some great things.”