Reflection: Taking the long run, and loving it

Graduating student helps fuel his way to success with college activities

By Bret Saveleski

Knightly News Reporter

[email protected]

Well, it’s about that time: time for me to sum up the last two years of my life into one article.

Let’s get this out of the way now. Since I know most people won’t read past the halfway point of this article (shout-out to Professor Olimpi’s journalism class for that one), the gist of what I wanna say follows.

This is my advice for any students reading this. Doing these four things led to me having both a valuable and enjoyable college experience, so maybe they’ll work for you too.

1. Show up.
2. Be curious.
3. Recognize your passions.
4. Build something.

Knightly News

I never intended to get involved on campus. Like most people, I came here for one reason: to get my degree. My plan was to come to class, do the work, pass my classes and leave. Rinse and repeat until I walk across the stage.

It didn’t quite work out that way.

When I think back to the defining moments of my time in college, the first one that sticks out is taking Professor Miller’s media relations class during the fall ’23 term.

Even though I was never one to keep up with the news, this course gave me a strong appreciation for the journalistic process.

It also reignited my forgotten passion for writing, and I joined The Knightly News Media Club the following term.

One thing that I remember vividly during my first club meeting was Professor Miller and Professor Lear-Olimpi’s willingness to allow us creative freedom when coming up with story ideas. If we showed up and were curious about a topic, they let us build essentially anything we wanted.

And just like that, I was hooked.

As a journalist for The Knightly News, I wrote a wide range of stories. My portfolio includes over a dozen baseball and basketball game wraps, stories about local businesses and events in the area, a Halloween feature about haunted places in Central Pennsylvania and even a long feature story on the importance of comedy in society.

I can honestly say that the club truly is whatever you want it to be. If you show up and are curious, you will be given the opportunity to build something that feeds your passions.

Athletics

After joining The Knightly News, I wanted to know what else the school had to offer. This led me to the second defining moment of my college career, meeting our athletic director, Kasey Hicks, and Assistant Athletic Director Kenton Alston.

For context, I’ve always loved sports. I was an athlete all the way through high school and continued playing recreationally during my time in the military. I always thought it would be fun to work for a sports team.

I am also absolutely obsessed with baseball and the numbers behind the game. So, when Kasey floated me the idea of being the live stats operator for the baseball and soccer teams, I had to say yes.

It was a perfect fit.

Over the last two years, I have logged every hit, run, goal and save for a combined three Eastern States Athletics Conference (ESAC) championship winning teams. I utilized my passion to become a small part of the excellent programs that our coaches and players built.

What a dream.

And all I had to do was show up and be curious.

Cross country

“Hey. Do we have a cross-country team?”

Those were the exact words I asked Kasey after six months of being an athletic assistant. It’s also the third defining moment of my college career.

Earlier in the article I mentioned playing sports my whole life. Well, cross-country wasn’t one of them. As a matter of fact, I was a high school football player who made fun of the cross-country kids. So, this was an interesting turn of events.

I started distance running in early 2024 as a remedy for my anxiety (best one I’ve found, by the way). I never dreamed it could lead me to becoming a college athlete, but that’s exactly what happened.

Even though we didn’t win a championship, competing on the cross-country team was an extremely valuable experience. Being eight years removed from high school sports made me forget what it was like to be part of a team, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity.

I feel like a broken record at this point. But again: I showed up every day for athletics, I was curious about this little-known program and I was able to use my passion for running to help further build the program.

I also got a firsthand look at how freaky some college athletes are (some of these kids are staying at a 5:30 mile pace for five miles!!! What is wrong with them?!?).

I will always remember the long runs in the dead of winter, the van rides to and from the meets, and being in awe at some of my teammates’ ability to crush endless baskets of dinner roles at our post-meet Texas Roadhouse outings. If they’re reading this, you know who you are.

In conclusion

I am genuinely grateful for having attended Central Penn College. I’ve had so many opportunities that I never could have even fathomed when I first decided to enroll, and I’ll always appreciate everybody I’ve met along the way. You’ve all helped me grow.

I also wanted to give a special shout-out to Steve Hassinger and Kristin Fike for the opportunity they gave me as a student assistant with career services. This article’s already too long but I could have written an entire other article about that position. You two trusted me with some very important projects and I thank you very much for always allowing me the creative space to complete them.

That’s about it. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for humoring me.

Be good.

–Bret

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Saveleski is outgoing co-president of The Knightly News Media Club @ Central Penn College.

Comment or story idea? Contact [email protected].

Edited by media-club co-adviser and this blog’s editor Professor Michael Lear-Olimpi.