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KALAMAZOO, Mich.—For a guy who loves baseball, you could say Alex Wojdylak hit a career home run. The Western Michigan University digital marketing student is graduating at fall commencement on Saturday, Dec. 16, with a bachelor's degree and a dream job already lined up. In the new year, he'll be headed to Los Angeles to work as a digital video specialist for FOX Sports—a job he landed after impressing supervisors during a summer internship with the network that extended through fall semester.

"I'll be doing a lot of short-form content, whether it's for YouTube shorts or Tik Tok … or editing things from podcasts," he says. "Obviously, I put in the work to get there, but I'm super grateful to be in a position like this right out of college having a really amazing job like this."

During his internship, Wojdylak worked on the digital screening team producing a variety of content, including short- and long-form videos, game highlights and unique thumbnails. 

One of the highlights of his experience was sitting in on a recording of the "Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander" podcast and talking with Verlander, the brother of former Detroit Tiger Justin Verlander. 

"That was really cool. Having opportunities to be around talent like that was huge," says Wojdylak, who grew up in Lake Orion, Michigan—Tigers territory.

FOX Sports also hosted the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup during Wojdylak's internship, providing a number of opportunities to produce content for a worldwide audience on social media.

"I feel lucky," he says. "It's an experience I will never forget."

A BRIDGE TO CAREER SUCCESS

Wojdylak initially came to Western with an interest in architecture and plans to study civil engineering. While he liked the idea of design and creation, he realized after an engineering internship that it wasn't the right fit. At the same time, he had been learning about video editing as a hobby and gaining interest in content creation.

"Western is one of the only schools in the world that offers a digital marketing (and eCommerce) degree, so I switched and gave it a shot—and I haven't turned back since. It's been awesome," he says.

Prior to his time at FOX Sports, Wojdylak spent over a year as an intern for the 51������ Student Affairs marketing team. He managed the office's social media accounts and created graphics and videos for them. That work, in addition to his classes and experience with world-class instructors in the Haworth College of Business, primed him to pursue his passion in the big leagues of the sports broadcasting industry.

“My communication and networking skills have improved. Since coming to 51������, I’ve participated in a handful of projects that have me talking in front of others and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone to better myself,” he says. “With networking, the more people you talk to, the more your confidence levels increase. And you build new connections in the process of honing your skills.”

Now, as he prepares to graduate and take the next step in his career, Wojdylak is reflecting on how far he's come 51������ both personally and professionally.

"Seeing how much I've changed … is the coolest part for me, the self growth," he says. “When we’re in a situation that challenges us, that’s when we grow. Whether it be taking a class, making new friends or working to get better at a different hobby, push yourself because you never know where it could take you."

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