Recreation Center Student Receives Student Employee of the Year - Loyola Marymount University Newsroom (2024)

Jack Menghini ’24, a marketing major from San Diego, received the Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year on Wednesday, April 17, during the Student Employee and Supervisor of the Year Award Ceremony hosted by Student Employment Services in St. Robert’s Auditorium.

Menghini works on-campus as a facilities supervisor in the Burns Recreation Center, where he oversees the daily operations of the center, such as memberships, locker room service, checking out equipment at the front desk, supervising other student front desk staff, helping with intramural sports or events happening at the BRC, opening the Gaming Center, and generally answering questions from members at the front desk. “Before I ever started working at the BRC, I would come in often as a student and always really enjoyed the community I met there,said Menghini. “It felt like I got more comfortable in my skin working out at the gym. Working on-campus and having flexibility with all of my classes was huge for me as a student, and working at the BRC allows me to find that balance. I supervise a lot of the facilities assistants, and one of my favorite memories has been connecting with first-year or sophom*ore students who work as facilities assistants to help answer their questions or help them with their resumes. I needed the help when I was an underclassman, and it’s been nice to be a resource for those students when they need it. The best memories have stemmed from those moments and making those connections with other staff at the BRC.”

Menghini’s academic work has centered around business, and it was Professors Mitchell Hamilton and Julian Saint Clair in the LMU College of Business Administration who helped encourage him to focus on the A-list marketing pathway, which has provided him with an in-depth understanding of marketing strategies, consumer behavior, market research, and branding. In this program, he’s also gained practical experience and marketing projects, allowing him to apply the theoretical concepts learned in the classroom to real-life scenarios. “My professors have been amazing for my pathway,” said Menghini. “I wasn’t fully sold, but after taking the first introduction class for the A-list pathway, I really was sold on it, and I remember it well because I felt like it was what paved the way for me to do this. Saint Clair and Hamilton have both been accommodating and are both in the industry to help me understand the ins and outs of marketing.”

Outside of academics and doing Open Mic Nights, Menghini is involved with REACH, the first and only social media club at LMU, and a member of the Marketing Society, the Business Sports Association, LMU-Match, and the Fashion Society. Menghini describes his LMU student experience as perseverance because a lot of his experiences in the past two years have been about pushing him to get out of his comfort zone. “My first year at LMU was online, and then my second year was in-person on campus, where I started participating in things like Mane Entertainment’s Open Mic Nights,” said Menghini. “I took a guitar class, and for our final performance, I sang, and I decided to go to one Open Mic Night, and now I’ve been to six or seven Open Mic Nights during my senior year. It was doing those things that helped me really put myself out there and helped me not be afraid of who I always wanted to be. To get up and perform in front of 40 people and sing was very intimidating, but that has been one of my favorite moments at LMU. I have worked very hard during my time at LMU to be able to have all of these experiences and I’m so grateful for everything that has come with that. And now I’m even making my own music.”

Menghini has also had the opportunity to volunteer while at LMU by helping the L.A. County Economic Development Corporation, where they hosted an awards ceremony at SoFi Stadium. They hosted an auction, and LMU student volunteers helped with some auction items and check-in guests. “I had never been to SoFi Stadium, but I got the chance to see the L.A. Rams locker room and go out on the field,” said Menghini. “It was quite the experience and one of the most memorable moments for me at LMU.”

Overall, Menghini’s experience at the BRC has taught him lessons he will carry into his future career. “Working at the BRC has taught me how to be open-minded and adaptable so that I can problem solve in any situation,” said Menghini. “And that will help me with whatever I do in the future because that applies in every situation.” After graduation, Menghini plans to attend graduate school this fall at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism to earn a master’s degree in digital social media, a combination of analytics and STEM.