Ty Cole is turning his love of being involved and talking with people into a career in communications. "You get to be around people 24/7."
By: April Johnston
Corporate Communications major Ty Cole is a joiner.
In his three years at Penn State Beaver, he’s served as president of the Student Government Association, captain of the men’s baseball team and senior staff writer for the campus newspaper
So when it came time to choose a major, communications made sense.
“You get to be around people 24/7,” Cole said.
That proved to be especially true when Cole scored his dream internship as a community relations intern with the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation.
In his role, Cole worked 15 to 20 hours per week exercising the written and digital skills he learned in his classes, updating the foundation's social media accounts, composing its e-newsletter and fulfilling donation requests.
And, yes, he got to meet the players.
Cole worked alongside the stars, including Captain Sidney Crosby, at two of the foundation’s signature events – the Summer Sticks Golf Classic and the Penguins and Paws Charity Pet Calendar shoot.
The internship convinced Cole that his corporate communications path was the right choice, and that foundation work is his ultimate goal.
“This is what I want to do in the future,” Cole said. “It’s the feeling you get. It’s rewarding because you know you’re helping people in need.”
He took the first step in that career path just a few days after graduation when he headed to University Park to take a post-graduate internship with Penn State's Division of Development and Alumni Relations, the only Beaver student to earn that honor.
