When Darian Leighty was choosing a college, Point Park made her final list because she relished the notion of studying sports, arts and entertainment management. What’s more, the long-term cheerleader and track athlete found she was able to both cheer and run track at Point Park’s downtown campus.
Three years later, Leighty has not only assembled an academic record of high honors and begun learning the ropes in SAEM, but has also excelled as a cheerleader and a member of the school’s relatively new track squad.
“I chose Point Park because of its proximity to home and real world experiences, I find Point Park to be very vibrant and academically informing. Track and cheer is a way for me to be stress-free, as well as a way for me to meet new people.”
Leighty first came to Point Park studying liberal arts, only because she was unsure of her interest, until 2014 when she discovered Point Park’s SAEM program. Leighty was drawn to the SAEM program because of all the diverse career choices. She particularly likes the entertainment portion of her major.
Leighty grew up in Connellsville, Pa., and attended Connellsville Area High School. While there she was a member of the Honor Society, the German Honor Society, Student Council, Prom Committee, the Thespian Club, and even participated in Connellsville’s musicals and senior class play. Leighty was also very prominent on Connellsville’s Track and Field, she has won three Golden Falcons for scoring more than fifty points her sophomore, junior and senior year, and placed 2nd overall for the high jump her Junior year. Leighty has danced all her life for a studio called Kidz n Company, where she focused mainly in Hip-Hop, Jazz, Ballet and Acro-aerial pointe.
Cheering is something that she has been familiar with all her life. She loves showing school spirit and being there to support the men’s and women’s basketball players. She has always had a positive attitude and helped others as much as she can, to help them be the best that they can be, and is always open to new ideas and opinions, which has made her the best candidate for captain of the cheerleading squad.
“When I’m cheering, that is when I feel my absolute best, cheering is a huge part of my life and ultimately makes me extremely happy,” Leighty stated.
“Darian motivates me because she is so good at what she does, when it comes to cheerleading, making everyone feel comfortable and at ease while teaching us the routines,” says sophomore student Rachel Maurice.
Point Park officially formed a track team during the 2015 academic school year. Leighty decided to join the new team because she has been active all her life and loves to run, as well as jump. She is constantly training to compete in events such as the high jump, long jump and triple jump, and sometimes even the 55 dash during the indoor season. In 2015, Leighty won an award for being the most improved athlete for Point Park’s track team. This year she has won Athlete of the week.
It is a great opportunity to train with someone like Leighty because she is always there to help cheer people on. She’s always there to help the team and accepted me from day one. I love Leighty,” states Desmond Marrow.
Another track member, Ebony Davis, stated, “Leighty helped motivate me during my track season by telling me we still have outdoor – that indoor is just helping us out for what really matters. She also helped by cheering me on even when I was dead last.”
While at Point Park, Leighty has been able to gain a job shadowing experience with Elegant Events by Andre through one of the University’s career fairs.
Leighty says “while job shadowing I realized that planning weddings was a lot more work than It seemed, I learned how to multitask planning weddings with multiple clients.”
Overall Leighty was extremely grateful for the opportunities and hands-on experience she had while job shadowing. In the fall semester of 2017 Leighty will be a senior, planning to graduate the following spring with a Bachelor’s of Science in Sports, Arts, and Entertainment Management. She also sees herself finally residing in New York City. She aspires to be an event planner, mostly catering to brides, but would be happy to do corporate events, as well. Leighty says “graduation will be bittersweet, but I’m beyond ready to pursue my dreams, I love Point Park.”