Name: Kelli Grashel
Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Sports Media and Strategic Communications
Expected Graduation Date: 2014
Company: University of Wisconsin
Organization and good time management are skills Kelli Grashel thinks will further students in their career.
She keeps a colored-coded calendar in her office to help stay on track with assignments, deadlines, games, etc. Good grammar is important, too, she said.
“Being able to write and knowing AP style are skills students need,” she said. “It sounds silly, but it’s underrated."
Grashel incorporates these skills daily in her duties as the athletic communications assistant at the University of Wisconsin. Her job includes handling social media, working on the Wisconsin athletics’ website, previews and recaps of games, athlete feature stories, game updates, making graphics and videos and setting up interviews for athletes.
Internships helped prepare Grashel for her position at UW.
“Internships are extremely helpful,” Grashel said. “They give a lot of perspective.”
Grashel was a public relations intern for the city of Cedar Hill, Texas, in 2012. In 2013, she became a media relations intern for OSU. Her last internship was for ASA/USA Softball in 2014. She was a communications intern. This position led to her job at UW.
“You will get a lot of experience from an internship, and the people you’ll meet will help take you far,” Grashel said.
Grashel said it is important for freshman and sophomore students to get involved. Clubs are a great way for students to see what interests them.
“I didn't know what I wanted to do as a freshman, and that’s OK,” Grashel said. “You're not supposed to have your life figured out at 18 or 19, but the more you do, the more you will learn about yourself and that’ll take you far.”
Grashel wants seniors to understand that there are plenty of opportunities in the world. Students shouldn’t limit themselves.
“Have patience,” she said. “Make sure you're on the right platforms.”
Grashel had many late nights in the Paul Miller Building. She said she thinks those nights are the ones that helped to make her passionate about the field she works in.
“I remember working on electronic communications and graphic design projects, studying my butt off for media law and praying I wouldn't fail,” Grashel said. “Those times are where you find yourself and your passion."