Sport Management grad credits YCP for landing job with Philadelphia Phillies

“I landed the perfect job I wanted all because of who I was able to meet and who I was able to network with thanks to York College,” says Jalen Green, ’17.

Being a native of Dover, Del., Jalen Green is for the most part a Philadelphia sports fan. This especially includes the Phillies, the team he saw when attending his very first professional baseball game when he was young.

That being said, even Jalen, a 2017 York College of Pennsylvania graduate, never dreamed he would land his first full-time job with the organization.

But a phenomenal internship during the Sport Management major’s professional semester led to Philadelphia hiring him for its sales department – and to have Citizen’s Bank Park be his office every day.

It’s almost surreal.

“That used to bring me and my (late) grandfather together. The Phillies have a special place in my heart,” Jalen says. “It’s one of those things you look back and realize you went from sitting in the audience to working with the players and the people on the team.

“I think my grandfather would be very proud. He’d be proud anyway, but this could put me a little above the other grandkids.”

Completely prepared

Jalen doesn’t hesitate to say how a student doing an internship can land a dream job. He was ready for it.

“I am surprised how well my college prepared me for this position,” he says. “They did so well at York College to prepare you for being a professional.”

All the hours spent working the required Sport Management practicum, in and out of the Grumbacher Sport and Fitness Center, and at various campus events, had Jalen ready for the job.

“We all had to help with the practicum and all had to help with the sporting events. That was my favorite part,” he says. “If I had to pick one thing all colleges should do, it’d be practicum.”

Upon his arrival with the Phillies, Jalen says the tasks he was asked to do were ones he had already done during his practicum at York College. Add to that, his personality and drive made him a viable candidate for his favorite team, not far from his hometown. 

“It helped me narrow down what I wanted to do as a professional,” Jalen says of his alma mater.  “Every professor I worked with was great. I tell my mom this every day: Picking York College over all the schools I could attend was the best choice I ever made.

“I landed the perfect job I wanted all because of who I was able to meet and who I was able to network with thanks to York College.”

Special treatment makes for a special employee

While he is in sales and marketing, Jalen’s duties don’t stop there. Helping with events – such as the Phillies 5K, team-related youth clinics, and giving tours of the stadium – are also part of the job. He enjoys every aspect.

“During my internship, I was in ticket services, more individual game-stuff, a lot of customer service based work, spring training, and at the same time a lot of cross-department work,” he says. “I still do the same things, except now I work with the more season and premium clients, and now we do the theme nights, too.”

It didn’t take him long to realize he wanted a full-time job with the organization. The staff around him – including upper management, such as Phillies chairman David Montgomery and other high-level personnel – made Jalen feel at home immediately upon his arrival in the spring semester. 

“I believe my second or third day there I wanted to stay,” Jalen says. “Over the years, the school has been perfect at sending us to great opportunities. I did a couple internships over the years, this one was different, I felt like I was part of things, not just an intern.”

Still, Jalen admits to being slightly surprised at the treatment he received as a young man new to working with a Major League team.

“That is what gave me that 'aha' moment, that I wanted to work really hard to be here,” he says. “It’s not every day you have the president of the organization call you by your first name. The VPs come down and talk to us. I felt like my work here won’t go unnoticed. A sport that focuses on family entertainment then treats you like family – you notice that.”