On any given day, junior journalism major Steph Hirsch can be seen walking around campus with a contagious smile on her face, carrying a meticulously-written notebook filled to the brim with rosters and notes, giving the rest of the world just a mere glimpse at her day-to-day life as an aspiring sports broadcaster.
As one of the only female play-by-play broadcasters for Temple’s Athletic Department, Steph is no stranger to the field. In fact, she spent this past summer in Chicago broadcasting for the National Women’s Soccer League on the radio.
It’s safe to say this is not her first rodeo.
Just a few weeks ago, Hirsch spent a weekend calling the 2015 A-10 Conference Field Hockey Championship, which gave her an inside look at what her future career may look like.
“I have never in my life called such a huge moment with such incredibly talented and dedicated athletes,” Hirsch said. “When the whole weekend was over I was bummed because I was like, “well now what?” I hope see more championship weekends in my lifetime and to represent Temple in more broadcasts to come.”
Her interest in broadcast was born at an early age, as she began calling and analyzing games at home with her dad, an NHL broadcaster.
“Once I got a taste of calling games I had the bug and knew that I wanted to evoke my same passion and excitement to viewers watching games at home,” Hirsch said. “I love being a journalist and painting a picture for an audience, I don’t regret this major one bit.”
In addition to journalism, Hirsch is a member of Temple’s only all female a cappella group, Singchronize, which has given her one of her favorite moments at Temple so far.
“At Singchronize’s 2014 fall concert I was asked to speak about a group who was performing with us,” Hirsch said. “A couple of my friends in the audience thought it would be funny to give me a standing ovation for the introduction. What I didn’t realize was that once they did that the entire audience on both levels in Rock Hall actually all stood up and applauded me. I was laughing and told everyone to sit down, but it made me feel like that I had actually made an impact on so many people’s lives and that I actually matter. This might sound corny, but Temple has really made me realize what my true potential is and no matter what, I will always be supported by the people who truly care about me.”
When she’s not broadcasting Temple games or rehearsing or performing with her a cappella group, Hirsch can be found doing homework in Saxby’s with a cup of joe in hand, or practicing her cooking skills inspired by Food Network’s Chopped.
While Hirsch is not too “celebrity crazed,” she would not object to meeting up with pop singer Sara Bareilles for lunch.
“She honestly seems like a homie and we would probably get into a lot of crazy shenanigans with each other,” Hirsch said.
As for role models, Hirsch is inspired by her parents.
“Both of them worked so hard to where they are now and they have shown me that anything is possible if I have the drive and work ethic to be my best self,” Hirsch said. “I can only aspire to one day create a life where I can create the type of loving home and family that both my mom and dad gave to my sister and I.”
Hirsch has advice for other students pursuing a career in journalism.
“Do not be afraid to put yourself out there,” Hirsch said. “Trust me when I tell you that it feels weird at first to promote yourself, but if you want to succeed you’ve got to be tenacious and show people why you are the best at what you do. The challenge that comes along with that though is to remain humble and grateful for where you are and how you got there. That alone will carry you far.”