Imagine a top sportscaster on the field of a major playoff game a few years from now, and you’ll need to add Chelsea Lipocky to that image! A broadcast major from Columbus, Ga., Chelsea plans to graduate in May 2011 and to pursue her dream of covering athletics. She is a long-time student employee at the UGA Visitors Center, and her passion for finding a cure for cancer has led her to be active in UGA’s Relay for Life.
Hometown:
Columbus, Ga.
High School:
St. Anne Pacelli Catholic School
Degree objective:
ABJ, majoring in broadcast news
Expected graduation:
May 2011
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
During my last three and a half years at UGA, I have been involved in and outside the university. Starting with Freshmen College Summer Experience, before my freshman year even began, I met great people and started falling in love with my new school. Also during my freshman year, I joined Delta Zeta sorority, volunteered for the production staff with the former Newsource 15, and secured a job at the UGA Visitor Center. Following my freshman year, I studied abroad in Australia and Fiji. It was a unique trip I will always remember. During my sophomore year, I represented UGA on ESPN’s magazine’s series, “A Season in the Stands.” Basically, one student from each of the top four preseason ranked schools documented their life as a fan for the entire football season. We had a different theme every week that we based our videos on, and the two video segments that went on their website every week gave an insight into being a student and a football fan. My favorite part of that experience was the video I did as a tribute to Larry Munson before he retired. The segment also made the show ‘College Football Live,’ which was really exciting for me. My junior year, I started at Grady in focusing on my broadcast news major. I loved finally being in my major. That year, I secured a job at the Athens Banner-Herald producing video stories for high school sports in the area. That same semester, my passion for Georgia sports led me to an internship with Bulldawg Illustrated. That year during winter vacation, I went to the ESPN St. Petersburg Bowl, now know as the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl, and hosted an in-house production project. The summer after my junior year, I interned at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where I worked in the production department cutting and writing highlights for such shows as “Baseball Tonight” and “SportsCenter.” Now in my senior year at Georgia, I still work at the Vistor’s Center, create packages for ESPNU and am in my semester at UGA Newsource. In addition, I have been extremely active in UGA’s Relay for Life, as the campus recruitment chair on the executive board in 2009-10 and as campus co-director in 2010-11.
Current Employment:
Since my freshman year, I have worked at the Visitors Center as a student tour guide. I am responsible for assisting visitors of the University in Georgia in things such as navigating around campus, locating events and appointments they have, providing directions, and answering any questions they have about the college experience, especially at UGA. I also conduct tours for prospective students and their families, as well as ground tours, ranging from high schools to international visitors and everything in between. I also do freelance work for the Athens Banner-Herald with their high school sports department. Every week I shoot, write and produce videos about high school sports in the Athens area for their website.
Family Ties to UGA:
I have always been a Bulldawg. Both my parents graduated from the University, and my mother was a Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication student. I also have aunts and uncles who attended and graduated from UGA.
I chose to attend UGA because…
… I was looking for the total package. I knew I wanted to be a broadcast major, and the program at UGA is amazing. UGA is distinct because there is a specific major for broadcast, as opposed to just general communications like many other universities. Grady also has its own channel network. I also wanted a larger university with more opportunities to get involved on campus; With the more than 600 registered organizations on campus, UGA obviously had that covered! I was also looking for a school with a strong athletics program. Because I want to work in sports news, I knew a school with a strong program would lead to even more opportunities for me to get involved in things related to my major; and it has.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
…eat! Even though I no longer am on the meal plan, which I regret every day, I still pay to go to the dining halls. I will never out-grow the “Taste of Home” days or “Snell-ebrating.”
When I have free time, I like…
Free time? What is that? When I do have some time, I love to watch television. That sounds like a pretty lazy answer, but since broadcast is my major, I have a big appreciation for live TV. This past summer I interned at ESPN in Bristol, Conn. I have always loved the network, but after seeing how everything works, I enjoy it even more.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
… get a tattoo. When I got accepted to UGA, my dad and I got matching Bulldawg tattoos. My mom was not as excited about it, but I love it. In addition, I have swam with sharks and huge manta rays in the Great Barrier Reef and attempted to surf at Surfer’s Paradise on a UGA study abroad program.
My favorite place to study is…
… in the Miller Learning Center near Jittery Joe’s. I cannot concentrate in complete silence, so I really like having some background noise. I also love people watching, so having an easily accessible study break is always good.
My favorite professor is…
…Steve Smith. He is my professor this semester in NewSource, the 30-minute newscast that airs on the university’s cable system. He knows so much and so many people in the industry and can always give good advice on what I should be doing to better my future. He also loves sports. There are so many awesome professors in the broadcast program, but Professor Smith shares my love and passion for sports. He makes the experience educational but still fun. These past few weeks in his class have assured me even more that UGA is where I need to be.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
… Dr. Charles Herty, the university’s first head football coach. I love UGA football and the history of the university, and I think it would be fascinating to hear his story about creating the football program here. It was a different world in 1895, and I think creating something like that takes a special person. Qualities such as creativity, ambition and determination are all things I think he would have had to possess himself and that I hope to emulate in my own life.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
…cure cancer. That sounds like a pretty ambitious task, but one that is close to my heart. I have been very active in UGA Relay for Life, and my passion for it streams from a strong connection to cancer in my lifetime. Even though my career path does not lead to finding a cure for cancer, I will always be involved in the fight.
After graduation, I plan to…
Right now, there is no definite plan for me when I graduate, as I still have to apply and interview for positions. I will send my resume and tape to every sports team and news station with a sports position during the next few months.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
I have been lucky enough to have many amazing experiences here at UGA; it is hard to pick one that stands out. I have a couple sports memories that I will never forget, such as the black out against Auburn and the overtime win at Alabama my freshmen year. One thing outside of sports that I will never forget is turning over our grand total for Relay for Life last year. We raised over $320,000, and knowing that I had a part in that success is something very important and special to me.
