Alumna Enjoys Her Role in World Series

By Megan Salatino, Class of 2016

Amanda (Turk) Schapiro, an alumna of Ashland University, took part in the 2014 World Series by working for the Kansas City Royals team as coordinator of community affairs and publicity chair.

As a 2009 AU graduate with a double major in sport communication and business administration, Schapiro used her knowledge gained at AU to put toward her future endeavors with the Kansas City Royals.

During the season, Schapiro handles a multitude of daily tasks, including coordinating the legacy seating and all of the different seat programs at the Royals stadium, drafting press releases and community releases before each home stand, helping to organize clinics and operating different camps and charity organizations, and honoring a wide a variety of people in the community especially those who served in WWII and active duty military.

“Basically, I work with a number of different departments to help handle all of the different donations and ticket vouchers,” Schapiro said.

Though the MLB season is always busy for Schapiro, it was even more so this year being that the Royals clinched a spot in the post-season and went 8-0 to secure a trip to the World Series against the San Francisco Giants. The last time the Royals made an appearance in the post-season was in 1985.

Not only was the post-season ride a great win for the Royals, but it was also a win for the community of Kansas City.

“Once we went into the post-season, my job went full blown. There were huge media requests, so I would talk to everybody and anybody I could to promote giveaways, rally towels and what would be on the field and how to prepare for post-season,” Schapiro said. “The MLB is a strong brotherhood. San Francisco reached out to us and said to make the most out of the experience, so we did. It was one of the best experiences of my life.”

The highlight of the World Series for Schapiro was the spotlight it shined not only on the team, but the whole Royals organization. “It really showed the world what the Royals organization stands for and the bond a community shares,” she said.

Though she has achieved great success with the Royals, Schapiro attributes much of her success to the Ashland University experience.

“It gave me that personalized experience. It is very personable, and I love that – it is one of the best things about me. Ashland gave me opportunities, it gave me the career development portion and it offered unique classes for me. A sport communication degree stands out, and it still stands out to people today,” Schapiro said.

The sport communication program at Ashland University is one of only several programs of its kind in the nation. The program focuses on communication theory as well as the research and application process needed in any sport organization. It teaches one the full-circle approach of sports and focuses on networking, which Shapiro believes helped her greatly.

While at Ashland, Schapiro interned with the Charleston River Dogs, a minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees, as well as Major League Soccer’s corporate office in New York City and SportsTime Ohio. 

“Internships are huge in getting you anywhere. It is not only who you know, but it is who remembers you. You have to make an impact. While working with MLS in New York, I had to go make that impression to help make them remember me in the future,” Schapiro said.

And, it was who remembered Schapiro that helped her beat out the more than 850 people who applied for her initial internship with the Royals before going on to become a full-time employee.  

“In this field, there are a lot of people out for this job. Having connections previously helped because they would stick out their neck for me, which got my foot in the door to meet them,” Schapiro said. “I had the confidence they were looking for, and you need to always make that initial impact.”

She also credits Ashland University with helping her attain her interview skills. “AU gave me tips on how to interview better, and I cannot thank Ashland enough,” she said.

Even though AU has prepared her for this career path, she leaves one piece of advice for those who one day wants to work in the sport industry.

“With a little bit of hard work, put your nose down and do it – it will get you far. I do not know if you can hear my smile, but I cannot stop smiling,” stated Schapiro, when reflecting on her job with the Kansas City Royals.

For more information about the sport communication program at Ashland University, visit https://www.ashland.edu/cas/communication-studies/programs/sport-communication or contact Dr. Dariela Rodriguez, coordinator of the Sport Communication Program, at drodrig2@ashland.edu or 419.289.5748.

Twelve New Students Inducted into Lambda Pi Eta

On Monday February 16 at 7:00 pm, eight Ashland University students humbly arrived to the Kate’s center to graciously be inducted into Lambda Pi Eta. Of these eight people, many came with supportive friends and family members to share this special moment with them as Department Chair, Dr. Theodore Avtgis, stood at the door to kindly greet them. As faculty members were making last-minute arrangements to the room, the scholars began to patiently take their seats as they waited for the ceremony to begin. President Lauren Fattlar and Vice-President Nell Cronin stood eager to introduce the beliefs that their chapter is based on and announce their new inductees to their audience.  Faculty Advisor to Lambda Pi Eta, Dr. Dariela Rodriguez began the ceremony with opening remarks and then handed the ceremony over to Fattlar and Cronin.

Lambda Pi Eta is a group of people who strive for excellence in all aspects of education in communication. This chapter is recognized as the official Communication Studies honor society of the National Communication Association. The ideas and beliefs that this chapter was founded on are based on the three modes of persuasion that Aristotle described in his book The Rhetoric. These three modes of persuasion are Logos, Pathos, and Ethos. Logos refers to logic and aids in problem-solving, Pathos relates to emotion and stirring up the passion of the audience, and finally, Ethos refers to the credibility and ethics that is initially established with the audience. Founded on these ideas, this chapter was initially started by the University of Arkansas in the Department of Communication in 1985.  By 1994, the chapter was established as the official national communication honor society for undergraduates. At this point in time, there are now 344 active chapters around the world who share the same six goals of Lambda Pi Eta:

1. To recognize, foster, and reward outstanding scholastic achievement in communication studies;
2. Stimulate interest in the field of communication;
3. Promote and encourage professional development among communication majors;
4. Provide an opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas in the field of communication;
5. Establish and maintain closer relationships between faculty and students; and
6. Explore options for graduate education in communication studies.

The qualifications that are needed in order to be a member of this chapter are not exactly easy to obtain. These requirements include a minimum GPA of 3.25 in communication studies. The full-time student also must be a communication major, have completed at least 60 credit hours of undergraduate courses, and also have successfully completed at least 12 credit hours of communication courses.

As the ceremony began to induct the new members into the Alpha Alpha Rho Chapter, one candle was lit for each of Aristotle’s mode of persuasion. As each name was then announced, the inductee accepted the certificate and the red and white honor cords that were then placed around their neck by Advisor Dr. Dariela Rodriguez. Along with these eight people that were inducted, there were four others that were unable to attend, making this the biggest inductee group Ashland University has ever seen. This record-breaking group consists of Taylor Campbell, Joel Gregory, Joyce Grendel, Halee Heironimus, Jacob Krupp, Paige Lamb, Emily Miller, Lauren Miller, Megan Salatino, Emma Tappel, and Madison Wright. This driven group of people will now take their ideas and beliefs to help Lambda Pi Eta grow and thrive to the best it can be. Congratulations to these twelve individuals on their accomplishments and hard work.