Jeremy Stevenson

Graduate Goes from Participant to Speaker at Collegiate Sports Event

The Churchill Downs Collegiate Sports Journalism seminar is held each year the weekend before the Derby. I was chosen to attend the ninth annual seminar as a student, so it was a special honor to be invited back as a professional speaker at the 10th seminar.

My topic was - "Where the jobs are and how to find them." I was on a panel with Kristin Ingwell, writer for The Blood-horse magazine, and John Erck, producer for Sportsvision.

We spoke about the importance of a good résumé, the value of internships and co-ops and the determination and will power required to make it in the business.

I focused mainly on the interview process - what to ask, what to wear, and the importance of knowing the business in which one is trying to get hired - all that good stuff I learned from my professors in the department.

The participants in the seminar are chosen by submitting examples of one's work. A panel then reviews applicants and takes anywhere from 35-50 of the top collegiate sports journalists in the country. This is not a horse racing seminar; it is a journalism seminar with horse racing and the Kentucky Derby as a back drop.