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Saint Vincent College Students Take on Training Camp

by Noah Aftanas, Athletic Communications Assistant | August 12, 2022

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The 2022 Pittsburgh Steeler’s Training Camp is the 55th training camp hosted at Saint Vincent College, and over the years, it has provided a great opportunity for current Saint Vincent students to work for a professional football team for a few weeks.

After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, training camp has returned to campus this summer, and two current Saint Vincent students have taken advantage of the opportunity to complete a summer training camp internship with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rising junior communication major Theresa Fletcher is working in media relations and rising sophomore communication major Reilly McKay is working as a camera operator in the Steelers technology department.

Fletcher has been a life-long Steelers fan, even having grown up in Colorado.

“I spent Sunday afternoons as a kid curled up next to my dad, drowning in my XL Roethlisberger jersey,” Fletcher said. “I listened while he explained bits and pieces of the game unfolding on the television screen. Football has been a constant in my life, and Pittsburgh is so tightly intertwined with my love of the game that it would be impossible to separate.”

The past couple of summers, Fletcher had hoped the Steelers would return to Latrobe, but unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic halted that. This summer, when she was offered the internship in the training camp PR office, it was a dream come true.

On a daily basis, Fletcher has the duties of passing out media credentials, observing practice, and transcribing interviews. She says although her duties may be simple, it has been very helpful for her to observe how the Steelers PR department operates.

“Every day in the office, I observe the well-oiled machine of the PR team tackle problems and take care of business,” she said. “I learn through this observation and interaction with each of the PR team members, as well as with other Steelers staff that I meet. The patience, direction, and knowledge has truly been enlightening and will be crucial in informing my next two years at Saint Vincent College.” 

McKay has worked directly with the video team for the Steelers, filming practices for coaches and players to review afterwards. McKay has been all over the place during camp thus far.

“I spend most of my time filming either on the ground, following the offensive line, or filming the offense from a high end-zone angle,” McKay said. “Working for the Steelers and with the video team has been the opportunity of a lifetime and has taught me many things. I have greatly enjoyed this experience and hope to continue to explore this field as a potential career path.”

Both Fletcher and McKay look to take this experience of a lifetime that they’ve had this summer with the Steelers and apply it to their futures in the marketing and communications field. Fletcher has a dream of working in media relations and McKay would love to continue within the videography field in the future.