Michael Plath ’18 chose Shenandoah University because of its family atmosphere and the opportunity to receive a great education while being a member of the golf team. One of his fondest memories while at the university was volunteering at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, with 27 other Shenandoah University students and five faculty and staff members.
Plath was able to see the Winter Olympics in a unique way that most people will never get to experience, and gain valuable knowledge of a major international sporting event. Lessons such as event planning, event management, cultural understanding, marketing, and more were taught to the students through class discussions and this intimate, first-hand experience. He was part of the volunteer team, which helped with the Biathlon Stadium by installing protection board and fencing, controlling spectators’ entry, etc.
Plath is a ticket and group sales associate for the Philadelphia 76ers, an American professional basketball team. In his position, he creates and executes strategies to improve the customer experience, and manages client information and data collection for ticket and group sales departments.
The most rewarding experience for Plath so far in his position with the Philadelphia 76ers was being able to solve problems for customers on his first game day. “I had a client tell me she was amazed with how I was handling things when she found out it was my first game day,” said Plath.
The education Plath received at Shenandoah prepared him for his career by giving him real world experiences he was able to use right away, such as volunteering at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Plath’s advice to students is: “Get as much experience as possible.”