Matt Edwards
Graduation with Leadership Distinction in Professional & Civic Engagement ePortfolio
Personal Website:
About Me
My name is Matt Edwards and I am a public relations major and sport & entertainment management minor at the University of South Carolina. Originally from a small town in southern New Jersey, I fell in love with sports at a young age after attending the Little League World Series every summer with my family, playing on several different sports teams from my kindergarten tee-ball team to my lacrosse team my senior year of high school, and jumping at any chance I could to travel up to Boston to see my favorite team, the Boston Red Sox, play at Fenway Park or to Philadelphia to see them take on the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park much closer to my home. I grew up an avid fan of sports statistics, sports writing, sports broadcasting, sporting venues, and athletes such as Red Sox legend David Ortiz. For those reasons, I always knew I wanted to have a career within the sports industry in some capacity.
As I reflect on the decisions I have made during my time at the University of South Carolina, I can confidently say immediately joining The Daily Gamecock a few weeks after I arrived on campus for my freshman year was one of the best I have made. Covering Division I and club athletics at venues throughout our campus and Columbia for our student newspaper has not only introduced me to many people and provided opportunities the traditional classroom setting may not, but also allowed me to combine my passions for research, writing and sports information. Like my writing-intensive coursework, writing articles for The Daily Gamecock has strengthened my knowledge and application of AP Style to my writing and helped me develop the necessary skills to become a better researcher, interviewer, writer and copy editor.
Just as I have always enjoyed playing and watching sports, I have always enjoyed being part of a team. I love working with other people and try to take advantage of all situations that allow me to collaborate with other people to work toward a common goal. During the summer between my sophomore and junior years, I was part of a wonderful group of staff members at Camp SAY in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Here, I felt a sense of unity right away as we all came together to offer unforgettable memories and unconditional support for young people who stutter and their friends at our two-week summer camp. Within the full Camp SAY staff, I worked closely with my colleagues as a member of the office and support staff, which allowed me ample opportunity to get to personally know each of them well even though we were together for just three weeks that quickly flew by. While I reflect on my time at Camp SAY, I always think of our office staff as a team because we meshed well together and did our absolute best to help others throughout our camp and successfully accomplish whatever was asked of us.
Prior to working in the office at Camp SAY, I worked as a sales associate at Colmar True Value Home Center from my summer entering high school in 2013 to the end of the summer leading up to my junior year at South Carolina in 2019. During my time there, I assumed many responsibilities to perform various tasks both independently and with my many coworkers over the years. Providing customer service always remained my top priority and I did my best to mirror my dependable coworkers in listening to all customers and treating everybody who entered our store with respect. Specifically in my role, I stocked and organized merchandise, assembled and delivered barbecue grills for customers, updated computer documents regarding the store's inventory, and facilitated lumber, concrete, and propane orders. Furthermore, I was often entrusted to mentor new and younger employees, operate key and lumber-cutting machines, and serve as cashier. Above all, I always demonstrated a positive attitude, unwavering work ethic and attention to detail while maintaining the store's appearance and reputation as part of a welcoming and helpful staff in a friendly South Jersey community.
As I work closer toward graduating and hopefully walking across the stage in my cap and gown in May 2021 (barring any more ongoing consequences caused by the pandemic), I am pursuing Graduation with Leadership Distinction in Professional & Civic Engagement. For that reason, I have created this portfolio to reflect on the many eye-opening lessons I have realized through my classes, extracurricular organizations, and work experiences during my four years as a student here at Carolina. Particularly, I have written three essays of distinct insights I have learned that have served me well as an undergraduate student and helped shape who I am as I pursue a career in sports media and/or college athletics upon graduation.