York College Student Finds Purpose in Helping Musicians Launch Careers

Alexa Scranton ’22 is a Music Production and Entrepreneurship major at York College of Pennsylvania, where she’s taken her love of entertainment and turned it into a drive to help others be creative.

Alexa Scranton ’22 loves helping musicians launch their careers. She’s no stranger to dishing out contracts and signing them to a label. Some may be surprised to learn the native of Freehold, New Jersey, hasn’t even graduated college yet.

Rather, she’s a Music Production and Entrepreneurship major at York College of Pennsylvania, where she’s already learned the day-to-day demands of running a business.

“Not many people realize the experiences you get from clubs on campus,” Scranton says. “There are so many learning opportunities outside of the classroom that prepare you for your career.”

Scranton is a member of York Music Group, a York College club that operates out of the College’s recording studio and manages the student-run record label, York Volume. It’s where students like Scranton get to flex what they’ve learned in the classroom, from understanding copyright law to organizing music festivals and working with advanced recording technology.

As she returns to York College for her senior year, Scranton will be York Music Group’s Chief Operating Officer, as well as the General Manager for WVYC Radio, York College’s student-run radio station.

“These are positions I looked up to as a first-year student,” she says. “Now, I get to build on my managerial skills while helping others pursue their passion in music.”

A lifelong interest

Scranton built a backbone of entertainment experience during her time at Howell High School in Howell Township, New Jersey. There, she auditioned for the Fine and Performing Arts Entertainment Technology program, where she learned the behind-the-scenes work of music production and live entertainment.

When it was time for her to consider her next educational opportunity, she thought she wanted to stay in her home state. York College was the only out-of-state school she considered, she says, because it felt like home.

She first applied as a Mass Communication major. When she heard about the new Music Production and Entrepreneurship major, it was everything she wanted and more. She quickly shifted gears to pursue the opportunity.

She’s even signed on for the Four Plus One Music Industry program, where with just one extra year at York College, she’ll graduate with her master’s degree.

Pursuing her purpose

While Scranton doesn’t know exactly where her career might take her, she knows she has options.

She might pursue her own business where she helps musicians start their careers. It would allow her to dabble in her passion for photography, which is her minor at York College. She also might pursue law school, where she could see herself helping all types of artists and entertainers protect the rights to their work.

“I feel more than prepared for whatever is ahead of me,” she says. “York College has done an amazing job at giving me the opportunities and lessons I need to pursue my purpose.”