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CoSIDA Goodwill & Wellness Committee
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Communicators Outside the Lines Feature Series
This is the next profile in a series entitled
Communicators Outside the Lines: Better Yourself, Better Your Community produced by the CoSIDA Goodwill & Wellness Committee. Read past profiles at
CoSIDA.com/CommunicatorsOTL.
WE NEED YOUR IDEAS!
If you have any ideas for this series, which will revolve around CoSIDA member volunteerism and health and wellness, please contact Goodwill and Wellness Committee chair
Megan Jameson, St. Edward's University Associate AD for Marketing and Communications, at
mhardin@stedwards.edu.
Q&A with Allison Hogue
Free Agent
by Jeremy Rosenthal – Indiana University, Assistant Director of Media Relations
Goodwill and Wellness Committee Member
Allison Hogue was born in Dallas, Texas and lived there until 2008. She moved to Nashville that summer and lived there until she graduated high school. Allison attended Liberty University in Virginia, where she started her sports information career as a student worker and intern all four years. In the summer of 2019 Allison interned in the sport communication office at the University of Florida. During the 2019-20 academic year, she served as the Communications & Marketing Intern for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
Allison is passionate about mental health awareness, physical fitness and the sports information profession.
Gallery: (10-20-2020) Allison Hogue Communicators OTL
Q. Why is mental health awareness important to you and can you talk about your personal experience?
Hogue: I was diagnosed with Asperger’s at the age of four. Growing up, I struggled to make friends and listen in the classroom. The benefit of being on the spectrum was having a good memory. When I was in middle school, I started experiencing a lot of anxiety. I became worried about a lot of things going on in my life. There are moments where anxiety becomes my worst enemy. When I have moments of anxiety, I hide it from my friends. I try not to talk about it until I go home. Anxiety blocks me from enjoying my day and the activities that I want to do. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected my anxiety a lot. I have some moments where it’s taking me over and other moments where I am staying positive. It all depends on the situation and how I feel about it. One example is asking the question of when this pandemic will be over?
Q. Why should be care more about mental health awareness and how can people help spread the awareness of mental health issues?
Hogue: People look happy and okay on the outside. It makes us think that everything in life is going well for them. What we don’t see, is what they are actually feeling inside. It’s important to be there for someone who is struggling mentally. They may need someone to talk too. There are many platforms to use when talking about mental health. It could be sharing your journey with mental health on social media. People can set up webinars, presentations, or workshops to showcase the subject. Something creative I did this year for my video production class is create a short silent film. The video is based on the disappointments I dealt with when the pandemic began and how I turned it around into a positive through playing basketball.
Q. What makes you want to be in the sports information/communications profession?
Hogue: I am passionate about working with the student-athletes and telling their stories. Every time I’m in the office or working a game, I’m always in my happy spot. I didn’t think about sports information as a career until I was a senior in college. I also love learning facts and history of athletics and student-athletes.
Q. What has your experience been with the CoSIDA Fitness Challenge and what would you say to those thinking about getting involved?
Hogue: I started in this summer of 2020 during the pandemic. My first team I was a part of was NewSIDsontheBlock. My co-captains were Marissa Avanzato and Shelby Hild. Marissa and I actually met for the first time on a Zoom group call during the second month of the pandemic. I never thought come the second challenge I would be a co-captain. I remember getting a message from AJ O’Hagan (after discovering we both were on the spectrum) about bringing Team Autism Awareness and Acceptance back. I was really excited when he asked me to be a co-captain for the team. This was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass on. Being a co-captain has helped me develop leadership skills that will be valuable in my sports information career. The CoSIDA Fitness Challenge is not only an opportunity to stay fit, but you also get to meet some really cool people in the profession. I have gotten to know a lot of SIDs through this.
Q. What has been your motivation for making health and wellness a priority in your life? What do you tell yourself on days you lack the energy to be active?
Hogue: I remember finding my love of running and exercise again in my first challenge. The competition portion of the challenge is what really motivates me to get out there and doing something active. I ran the 2020 CoSIDA Virtual 5k on my old high school cross country course. I felt really good to be back to doing it after a long time.
Q. What is one of the most fun things you have been able to do over the last six months?
Hogue: I have been taking on freelance opportunities in sports information. One of them was writing two feature stories for the Duke athletics website.
Q. What helps you stay positive when there is a lot of negative in our world?
Hogue: Staying active with CoSIDA has really helped me focus on a positive note during these unprecedented times. I have been a free agent since April and the job market has been very tough. In addition to being involved in the Fitness Challenge, I am also a member of the Young Professionals Committee. This has given me a platform to advocate for the profession. I have also enjoyed calling up people for advice, sitting in on Coffee Shops and WoSIDA Zoom calls. I love the CoSIDA Family and how welcoming they have been when I first joined. Through these opportunities, I believe this will help me find my next thing down the road.
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