#EXCEPTIONALLYEMPLOYABLE W


WJU Students ...before graduation


BY JEFFREY WEIDEL VICE PRESIDENT, HALLDIN PUBLIC RELATIONS


illiam Jessup University student Matt George can envision himself behind a microphone at a radio studio, taking calls on his talk show and offering his many insights


into the world of sports. Matt Horrocks, also a WJU student, loves the behind the scenes nature of working for a professional baseball team. His dream job: media relations for the San Francisco Giants. Although both are still WJU students, the two Matts are currently making some positive strides toward their career objectives.


MATT GEORGE @MattGeorgeWJU


George landed an entry-level job with KHTK- 1140 am, the radio home of the Sacramento Kings and numerous sports talk shows. “Matt obviously impressed enough people around here to go from intern to employee,” said Jason Ross, longtime voice of KHTK and the


Kings. “He was seen, heard, volunteered to learn different things like board op. He was aggressive and that’s what you need to do as an intern.” George’s booming voice is well known to


all WJU athletes, coaches and fans as the “Voice of the Warriors.” Recruited by former Jessup sports information director Jeff Bus- sell, he began working as the public address announcer for WJU basketball games as a senior in high school. Since stepping foot on campus as a full-


time student in 2012, George has been the primary announcer for the livestream of Jessup games (bit.ly/WatchJessupSports). “I take a lot of pride in being the ‘Voice


of the Warriors.’ I got asked to broadcast basketball games the first year we were in the


new gym and have broadcast every sport,” said George, who established with Horrocks the “Warrior Nation,” a weekly sports show to highlight WJU teams and athletes. His role with KHTK expanded quickly and


led to air time in a fill-in role. In late August, George was juggling being a board operator, producer and sidekick alongside Nate Good- year, leading to a permanent spot on the afternoon show. Just being part of the KHTK studio crew


is a major step for George, who grew up in Roseville as a huge sports fan and attended Woodcreek High. “I grew up listening to KHTK and people like Grant Napear (Kings radio announcer, talk show host). I would have KHTK on 24-7 when I lived in the dorms at Jessup and when I lived at home,” explained George. Being an intern at KHTK provided a foot in the door. “Matt is doing all the right things. He’s energetic, eager, and tries to stay in front of people and be seen and heard,” Ross said. George, 21, admits he came out of high


school with an abundance of ego. But the spiritual vibe that comes with living on the WJU campus and being in a Christian envi- ronment soon changed his demeanor. “I’m very different than when I came here as a freshman. I had an ego,” admits George. “The last two years I have been broadcasting for God and trying to be a good representative of William Jessup. I’m a Christian voice in a sports broadcasting world. I want to be a respected broadcaster and Christian. I never would have understood that calling without my Jessup education.”


MATT HORROCKS @MattHorrocks916


Meanwhile, Horrocks was a valued “trainee” this summer with the Sacramento River Cats and received a large dose of Triple-A baseball at Raley Field. “Matt has a nice feel for the type of writing we needed. He’s clearly well- versed on the type of material we require and came to us (from William Jessup) experi- enced and ready to go,” said Daniel Emmons,


head of baseball operations and public rela- tions assistant. Horrocks got his start at WJU while still in


high school, thanks to Jeff Bussell. Recruited by Bussell to help the athletic program, Horrocks began attending WJU sporting events and writing about them as well. His bylines began appearing regularly on the Jessup web- site and in the Placer Herald, a Rocklin newspaper. “It was the coolest


thing in the world. I was watching college athletics and writing about them when I was still at Granite Bay High School,” said Horrocks, who stopped playing high school sports after his sophomore year when he began working regularly for WJU. A junior this fall, Horrocks is a Public Policy


major at William Jessup, where he now has a job as Media Coordinator for the athletic department. When WJU started a baseball program last fall, no one was happier than Horrocks. “Baseball was my life as a little kid. I grew up going to Giants games and watch- ing them on TV all the time,” Horrocks said. His baseball education evolved as a paid


trainee in February with the River Cats. “I loved it. I thought I knew a lot, but every


day with the River Cats I was learning some- thing new and trying to perfect those skills,” Horrocks said. “I got paid to watch baseball and also get a behind-the-scenes look at how a baseball organization operates. I would have done this for free.” The intern success stories of Jessup’s


Horrocks and George reflect a growing trend within the student body at WJU. Students are not only “Thriving Spiritually,” but finding their sweet-spot in the community doing what they love for a living and proving themselves in the nature of Jessup Alumni to be…#ExceptionallyEmployable.”


JESSUP MAGAZINE 29


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