This week’s Campus Celebrity is responsible for being the brains behind and the beauty in front of the camera in UMass Athletics videos. Meet sophomore Sara Lapointe!
Catie: So what is your official title? If you have one.
Sara: Hmm, it’s kind of hard to put a title on it. I would say the closest thing is Video Broadcasting Assistant.
Catie: Now, I know you do a lot with these videos. Can you tell us everything that you are responsible for when you make one?
Sara: I film different athletic events, set up interviews with and interview athletes and create promotional videos for the UMass Athletics website. Next semester I’ll be doing live commentary for some of the sports, which I’m really excited about!
Catie: How did you get started with this?
Sara: I was lucky to get a lot of experience with this sort of thing in high school. I applied for this position in January of my freshman year here. I was hired and have been involved ever since!
Catie: Has the position evolved at all from the one you originally applied for?
Sara: It started with mostly just filming, but I’ve chosen to do more interviews and produce more videos since.
Catie: What’s your favorite part about this job?
Sara: No matter what I’m doing, as long as it involves sports, I just forget about everything else. I get so lost in it. When the basketball team made a run this year, I was there, on the court. It’s just so overwhelming. Everyone around is cheering and celebrating, and I’m there soaking it all in. I don’t have a worry in the world when I’m doing this.
Catie: Are you involved in anything else on campus?
Sara: Yes, I’m the secretary/treasurer of UMass’ National Residence Hall Honorary. It’s a group of the top leaders on campus. We do a lot of volunteer work, put a strong focus on academics and set up events that recognize others for their hard work.
Catie: What do you hope to do after college?
Sara: Hopefully work for ESPN somewhere down the road. I mean, you do have to start somewhere. You start young and start networking, but that’s my dream. Hopefully in front of the camera too. I’m working on doing more of that now with these videos.
Catie: Where can people go to find your videos?
Sara: On the UMass Athletics website! Not all of them are mine, but that’s where they all get posted.