黑料网 student Sean Fitzgerald shares what it鈥檚 like being a resident assistant (RA), co-hosting a sports radio show and living on the autism spectrum.
Sean Fitzgerald traces the beginning of his love of sports and talking about sports to car rides with his father in his hometown of Strongsville, Ohio. Together, they talked sports while listening to Northeast Ohio sports personality Kenny Roda on the radio. Fast forward a decade or so and now, in his junior year, Fitzgerald is beginning his fifth semester co-hosting his own popular sports radio program on 黑料网鈥檚 Black Squirrel Radio.
Fitzgerald is currently half of the duo of 鈥淔itz and Enzo鈥 (Enzo Orlando) on Black Squirrel Radio. Last fall, when he was partnered with Mitch Spinell, their program was named the second-highest-rated sports program on the station and was the third highest ranked overall. Spinell since graduated and now works on Cleveland鈥檚 92.3 鈥淭he Fan鈥 sports radio station.
In his time with Black Squirrel Radio, Fitzgerald has interviewed well-known sports personalities, including NBA analyst Chris Broussard, Cleveland sports broadcasters Bruce Drennan and Mark 鈥淢unch鈥 Bishop as well as Cleveland Browns linebacker Joe Schobert. The opportunity to be on-air, even as a freshman, is part of what drew Fitzgerald to choose 黑料网.
Finding 黑料网
黑料网 was one of five schools on Fitzgerald鈥檚 鈥渟hort list.鈥 In the summer after his junior year of high school, Fitzgerald visited 黑料网 with his family. 鈥淚t was really beautiful,鈥 Fitzgerald said. 鈥淭he campus caught my eye like a gemstone 鈥 perfect. I felt really good.鈥
In addition to having the kind of accredited journalism program Fitzgerald was looking for, 黑料网 offered him the chance to get on-air in his first year. 鈥淚 know that (in) some other schools in Ohio, you can鈥檛 jump right into student media,鈥 Fitzgerald said. 鈥淚 could jump into anything I wanted to right off the bat.鈥
Fitzgerald also found something else he really liked at 黑料网: its people. 鈥淲hat I like best about 黑料网 is the people,鈥 he said. 鈥淭here are a lot of really helpful, great people, may they be professor or people in other programs here on campus. They鈥檙e just the people who make the experience here so good. I don鈥檛 think I could have chosen a better place to come with how welcoming this campus is and how inclusive it is as well.鈥
Sharing a Message of Success
As a young sports fan, Fitzgerald had envisioned himself attending college, maybe as a baseball player or an Ohio State Buckeye. He admits, however, that his sixth, seventh or eighth grade self might be 鈥渋ncredulous鈥 at his achievements now. 鈥淗e would have told me 鈥榊ou鈥檙e kidding,鈥欌 Fitzgerald said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檇 be like, 鈥楴ope. All this amazing stuff has happened to you and it鈥檚 because you worked hard, and you did everything you needed to do.鈥欌 Thinking back, Fitzgerald said, 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 initially think I鈥檇 end up here all those years ago, but I鈥檓 here now and I鈥檓 glad. I鈥檓 really happy here. 鈥
Asked what advice he might give to a high school student who is on the spectrum and thinking about attending 黑料网, Fitzgerald offered this advice: 鈥満诹贤 is very supportive. You should definitely come here because this is where a lot of people 鈥 whether or not they know it 鈥 once they get here and get that help, they鈥檙e just going to just hit the ground running and be able to just take off.鈥 He said that he would recommend the support groups he has interacted with on campus, such as Student Accessibility Services (SAS). Fitzgerald said, 鈥淚 would refer them to those folks and be like 鈥楬ey, these people can help you out. I know them. Trust me, they are great!鈥欌
A Personal Perspective on Autism and Identity
When asked about what he would like people to know about people with autism and him personally, Fitzgerald said he knows that people have misconceptions about autism. 鈥淚 think a stereotype that is out there is that people with autism are dumb; they don鈥檛 know how to speak,鈥 he said. 鈥淭here are people who are smart who have it and it鈥檚 not like everyone is going to be the same. Not everyone has the same challenges. Some people may have more, some people less.鈥
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 really know until you go through it. It鈥檚 a roller coaster ride,鈥 Fitzgerald continued. 鈥淎nd once you鈥檙e on it you just learn where the hiccups are and then just figure out the rest from there. It鈥檚 not something ever set in stone.鈥
Fitzgerald calls himself 鈥渁 sports guy.鈥 He said that he also has hobbies outside of sports but jokes that 鈥渙thers may think otherwise.鈥 He wants people to know that he is a kind person who is willing to help out. In his role as an RA, Fitzgerald says he wants to be honest and fair and give back to others whenever he can.
In speaking about his personal perspective on autism, Fitzgerald said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think people would ask me this: 鈥榃ould you ever get rid of it?鈥 I don鈥檛 think I鈥檇 ever want to get rid of who I am because I feel like I鈥檇 be a totally different person if I weren鈥檛 on the spectrum,鈥 Fitzgerald said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something that once you accept it and you learn how to deal with it鈥 sure, you鈥檒l have stuff that maybe pops up every now and then, or you saw those struggles every day going through your certain challenges, but really for me 鈥 I wouldn鈥檛 change anything for the world.鈥
Being Part of a Campus Community
As an RA in Stopher and Johnson halls, Fitzgerald is part of the honors living-learning community there. He says that in being an RA there鈥檚 a challenge in living where you work. However, being an honors student himself, Fitzgerald feels that he鈥檚 a perfect fit for the job. He understands the challenges that honors students have in maintaining a healthy balance in their academic studies and social lives. 鈥淚 just love helping people,鈥 Fitzgerald said. 鈥淪taff members welcomed me and made me feel welcome. I want to give back what others have given to me. That鈥檚 part of my mantra.鈥
His positive feelings about the people are mirrored in his feelings about the campus environment. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like a homey place; it鈥檚 not too small, it鈥檚 not too big. It鈥檚 somewhere where I feel like anyone can find their niche and it鈥檚 somewhere where I think anyone, if they鈥檙e willing to be open minded, can feel comfortable and feel safe and at home,鈥 Fitzgerald said.