Deciding what to do with one’s life is challenging, but for Pablo Iglesias ’13, the choice came easy.  Now a senior at Bradley University, he hopes to one day accomplish his lifelong goal: becoming a sports broadcaster.

Iglesias realized he wanted to join the sports media world when he was 10. He says that he saw the SportsCenter anchors having fun while doing their job, which inclined him to pursue that direction.

Iglesias remembers from a young age always being involved in sports, whether playing basketball or constantly watching games on television. He felt more like a good luck charm for Chicago teams when he was growing up – as the Bulls were enjoying the Jordan Era and the White Sox won the world series in 2005.

As he grew up, he wanted to attend a high school which valued sports and had a journalism program, and Mount Carmel fit the profile perfectly.  Iglesias wrote for the online newspaper during his senior year and became the editor, and appreciated the direction that experience gave him.

“(It was) good to work under some great (teachers) like Mr. Haggerty and Mr. Vrechek.”

After his years at MC, Iglesias focused on finding a college that had a strong journalism program in order to pursue his dreams. That college was Bradley.

Now down in Peoria, Iglesias is majoring in sports communication.  Currently, he is the lead anchor on the campus sports show, and does play by play for various teams, including baseball and hockey.

One thing Iglesias likes about covering baseball is that broadcasters are allowed to hold a conversation in between pitches and catch their breath. In hockey however, there is little time to bring up statistics and you have to notice everything that happens.

Iglesias’ advice to others who may be interested in sports broadcasting is to get to know as many sports as you can.  “The more sports you know, the better you are in the field and at your job.  Makes you more agile and flexible.”

This past summer, Iglesias traveled to the “City of Angels” for an internship with the Los Angeles Dodgers Radio Network. As an intern, the job required getting coffee for the hosts and staff, running tedious errands, and getting copies of whatever was needed for the show.

But Iglesias was allowed to write some segments for the radio broadcast, and the highlight of his internship was when he went on the radio during the show. He remembers how he had done a lot of research for one segment which focused on high school football in Illinois, and the next thing he knew he was answering calls and questions from the audience.

He admitted that at first he was nervous going on the radio, but then he remembered the story of how the first time Larry King ever went on live radio, he blanked out. King’s show took a commercial break, after which then he went back on as if nothing ever happened.

Iglesias loves that internships in the sports broadcasting offer a chance to build confidence and gain exposure. And he adds, “The great thing about sports is that they can take you across the country.”

In 10 years Iglesias would like to be in Chicago as a full-time sports broadcaster. To get there, he is determined to refine his skills at conveying the message in an effective way.

He simply says,”You need to be able to tell a story.”