George Washington University Athletics
Catching up with GW Softball Alumna Sandi Moynihan
12/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Former George Washington softball student-athlete Sandi Moynihan ('13) recently was recognized with two prestigious journalism awards - less than three years after completing her undergraduate studies as a Colonial.
In 2015, Moynihan received an Edward R. Murrow Award in the Feature Reporting - Large Online News Organization category after teaming up with three other journalists to produce a video in 2014 about Romanian orphans while working for the Washington Post. The Edward R. Murrow Awards have recognized outstanding achievements in electronic journalism since 1971.
The piece also received second place in the 2015 White House News Photographers Association Eyes of History: Multimedia Contest in the documentary category.
A native of Sugar Land, Texas, Moynihan served as GW's primary first baseman for her three seasons on the squad before graduating a semester early in January of 2013. In 2012, the journalism and mass communications student helped the Colonials to their second-ever Atlantic 10 Championship appearance and ranks third on GW's all-time list for career putouts (810).
Moynihan currently works full-time for the USO and is pursuing a Masters of Professional Studies in Public Relations and Corporate Communications from Georgetown's School of Continuing Studies.
GWsports.com caught up with Moynihan to talk about life after GW and how she's used her experiences as a student-athlete to her advantage.
GWsports.com: This has been an exciting year for you, receiving two big awards less than three years after you graduated from GW. How did you react when you heard about the awards?
Sandi Moynihan: You know, it was a total surprise. The project that won all the awards was the last thing I worked on back when I was at the Post and I didn't even know that they had submitted the project to competitions. I actually heard about the two awards from a former colleague of mine via Facebook who worked on the project with me just a few days before he was going up to accept one of them at an awards ceremony. It was such a surprise and I felt so grateful that he reached out to me -- I don't think I would have heard otherwise! Honestly, I couldn't really believe it. It was so cool to think that something I was a part of was being honored for excellence, and I was just so thrilled for the whole team that worked on it.
GWsports.com: You worked with three other journalists on your award-winning project. How have your experiences as a teammate at GW translated to working in the professional world?
SM: The Romanian orphan story in particular was a huge collaborative effort with lots of moving parts and involved parties. I think I was able to excel in my role as one of the editors of the piece because I really understood how to be a collaborative team player and work with others towards a common goal. I credit GW softball for that.
When you're working on a creative video story with others, everyone is going to have their opinions of how x or y part should be edited and you need to be open to hearing others' opinions, critiques and suggestions. They might have an awesome idea that would make the story incredible! I think the key to making a great piece and keeping all parties happy is working to find the solution that tells the best story possible -- everyone wants that. There's a little give and take. It's sort of like learning to be okay with a sacrifice bunt to help the whole the team succeed and win the game. And I think the team that worked on this project managed to do that and worked together beautifully.
Plus, it helps that the three seasoned journalists that worked on the piece with me are all super talented and were really patient with me. I was the youngest and least experienced person on the team working on the project.
GWsports.com: You currently work for the USO, take on freelance work and go to graduate school at Georgetown. How do you balance all of that?
SM: With a lot of coffee! No, I'm kidding. Sometimes it does get to be a bit much though. Honestly, I've just learned to prioritize and go from there.
Work for the USO is clearly my number one priority as that is my main job, but it's so easy to make it my top priority because I love what I do and believe in the mission of the organization. It's a military nonprofit devoted to connecting service members to family, home & country. Plus, I get to do some pretty cool stuff for the USO -- shooting photos, filming videos, writing blog posts, contributing to the USO's magazine, On Patrol -- so it's easy to find the energy to continually work hard for the USO.
As for part-time grad school at Georgetown, it helps that the USO is very supportive of my decision to go back to school. Although I'm still working full-time, the USO has allowed me to work earlier hours on the two days a week I have class so I can make it to campus and get into the classroom mindset. I'm so lucky to have an employer that sees the value in continuing education -- not every employer out there is like that.
The rest of it -- freelancing, personal fitness, etc. -- comes after work and school on my priority list. But I find time for it in the early mornings, evenings or weekends and have really gotten into a routine. It also helps that I have a great network of friends, family and loved ones to support me during this time in my life where I'm balancing a lot. Without them to encourage me and tell me that I can handle everything I do, I don't think I would be able to do it.
GWsports.com: What are the most important lessons you learned as a student-athlete that have helped you in your professional career?
SM: Without a doubt, the time-management, perseverance and teamwork skills I learned as a student-athlete are what help me the most as a professional. As a student-athlete those three things became my bread-and-butter and they still are today. In my professional life, I constantly work in teams, on deadlines and on multiple projects at once. And all of those things require great time-management and teamwork skills as well as the perseverance to see long projects through to the end.
GWsports.com: You've already built up quite a resume working for the Washington Post and the USO among many other publications, where do you go from here?
SM: To get my graduate degree! Honestly, my degree is the next big goal I have my eye on right now, but after that, who knows? The possibilities are endless and I'm excited to see what comes my way.
To view Moynihan's award-winning work, click here.
To see more of Moynihan's professional work, click here.
