By Yahjanae Ward, Staff Writer
Mariah Linnett is our Director of Athletic Communication here at Western New England University. She started here at the University about two months ago and says she doesn’t regret her decision to come here. Linnett is from Greenwich, which is in upstate New York. She played sports throughout high school, which led her to her career path today.
Linnett received her Bachelor’s from Castleton University in Vermont and attended grad school at Assumption University in Massachusetts. Linnett had never been to Massachusetts before, but she had friends who went to the University, and she knew the area well.
In college, Linnett played sports and studied Sports Management, not really knowing what she wanted to do with her degree. At Castleton University, she did internships — or what they would call “Service-Learning Hours.” Linnett got a chance to work beside people in her college’s SID Office and worked the games and realized, “This is really cool. I like this a lot.”
Unfortunately, Linnett graduated during the pandemic and was unable to have a traditional graduation. She became worried about life after college and started to apply wherever she could. Linnett found herself in Fort Way, Indiana for a year and says she “got her feel with the Midwest.”
She applied here to the University during the pandemic, but nothing went through due to the circumstances. Once she saw the position open back up, she couldn’t hold back and immediately jumped at the opportunity to become a part of the Golden Bear community.
After explaining why she enjoys working here at the University, Linnett continued, “I really like the people here. They’re very down to earth, very nice and they’re not going to sugar coat anything.” She feels she is a part of a culture here at the University and was hoping to find that here when she joined us.
Linnett has many different hobbies that include working out, hiking, running, and lifting weights. She was lucky to join such a close knit and athletic community that shares her interest, so if you catch her in the weight room don’t be afraid to say hi!
As for the future, Linnett doesn’t really have any set plans, but she mentions she “loves the college atmosphere.” A while back she worked with a semi-pro hockey team, and she liked the atmosphere of that, too. Linnett wouldn’t mind exploring that again if the opportunity came about to see if she still enjoys it, but for now she is comfortable.
“I love college athletics. I get to work with students like you. I get to work with student athletes. It is a hands-on experience and I get to know the people around me and impact some students and guide them on their journey,” Linnett shares.
She is comfortable in her work and enjoys it very much. When asked what she loves most about her job, she mentioned being able to go to the sporting events as well as working one-on-one with the athletes. Linnett said she has tried a little bit of everything. She’s received the best opportunities just from getting her feet wet, and she also recommends trying new things.
When asked what advice she has for the students here at Western New England University she had a few things to say: “Try everything! I did a little bit of everything; I worked with a high school AD; I worked with a manager for a wrestling team; I worked with the hockey team; I did events; Get your feet wet and try everything because you never know what it can turn into — [this] is the biggest thing. I think most of the experience I got is from doing the things I didn’t like doing.”
Linnett proves she is ready to continue her path here at the University by finding her “niche,” and she enjoys her job and is happy. Mariah Linnett is Western New England University’s Athletic Spotlight of the month. You can find her in the AHLC in her office or even at any University sporting events!
