Meet Luke Henne
I’m Luke Henne, and I’m a second-semester senior from nearby Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. I’m majoring in Sports Information & Media, with a minor in English. I’m taking this class because it is required for my major. However, given the ever-evolving landscape of how social media platforms are used and how marketers seek to reach new audiences digitally, this class has piqued my interest.
I’m actively involved in many of Duquesne’s media offerings. I serve as both the editor-in-chief and the sports editor at The Duquesne Duke, the on-campus student newspaper. I co-host a weekly sports talk radio show at WDSR - Duquesne Student Radio. I have also done sports broadcast work for both Duquesne Student Television and Duquesne Athletics Productions. My work at Duquesne has directly correlated to my success in finding opportunities professionally. I spent Summer 2022 as a media relations intern with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and I’m currently serving as a staff writer intern for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
With that in mind, I think the best way to describe my approach to projects for both work and school is detail-oriented. I don’t take any opportunity for granted, and I work to ensure that everything I do is done with extreme detail and diligence. I subscribe to the philosophy that everything you do or put your name on says something about you, so I’d like to give off a positive impression as often as possible.
Something readers should know about me:
My love for travel and sports is unparalleled. I’d say I dedicate nearly 1/4 of the calendar year to either traveling, attending sporting events, or a mixture of both. While it is fun to do from a leisure perspective, it’s even more fun to do while working. Since beginning to work for the media outlets at Duquesne, I’ve gotten the opportunity to cover the NCAA Tournament (at PPG Paints Arena), Mid-American Conference football (in Kent, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan) and a Duquesne men’s basketball game in Lexington, Kentucky, against the marquee Kentucky Wildcats.
Three things I’d like to take from this class:
(1) How to effectively tackle search engine optimization, so that my work and offerings are prominently featured on search engines (not buried deep on the internet).
(2) How to be a more-effective marketer, especially in a landscape where reaching consumers from a digital perspective is more and more essential.
(3) How to manage my professional social media profiles more effectively, so that I get more eyes and exposure on them.
What I learned from this pandemic:
The lockdown taught me to grow up and realize that some things are part of life. As a freshman in college, I was immature. When Covid-19 hit, it was at a time where the sports calendar was heating up (NCAA Tournament coming, baseball season just around the corner, etc.), and all those events were wiped out in the span of a few days. I thought that was all unfair, but then I stepped back and realized that people were losing their lives and suffering through a lot worse. With no sports, being locked down also helped me forge closer relationships with both my parents and siblings. As a result, we’re all closer than we’ve ever been, merely because of spending so much time together. While the pandemic was tough, it was my wake-up call that you’re not always going to get what you want in life, so make the best of the opportunities that you are afforded.
Connect with me, and find out a little bit more about me:
LinkedIn: Luke Henne
Twitter: Luke Henne (@luke_henne)
Instagram: Luke Henne (@luke_henne76)