Aurora Kitko, ’14, left Muskingum with three majors – international business, economics, and Spanish. She came to Muskingum because she was attracted to the liberal arts education and wanted to play softball for the late Coach Donna Newberry.
Following graduation, Kitko spent a year working as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher at La Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha in Spain.
Upon returning from Spain, Kitko made a connection with someone she knew with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. She interviewed and was offered a job as the team’s ESL teacher in Florida, bringing her closer to her goal of working in the world of professional sports.
Kitko continues to work as an educational administrator for the Pirates, but she has also taken a full-time Spanish teaching position at IMG Academy, a prestigious boarding school and sports training facility located in Bradenton, Florida. She says, “IMGA has provided me some of the best professional experience I have yet to have and I am excited for my future with the organization, while maintaining my professional ties with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Kitko says that when working with internationals, “it’s imperative to have an interdisciplinary background” – something her liberal arts education at Muskingum afforded her.
The connections Kitko formed with faculty as an undergrad have helped her immensely since graduating. She said, “I am so fortunate to have had the professors that I had and their support post-grad has been amazing! I know I can depend on my old professors and other administrators from the university for anything. I have had references, letters of recommendation and the best advice given to me from some of the people I met at Muskingum.”
Kitko advises college seniors to “Take time [after graduation] to do something you’re passionate about. For example, when I graduated, I moved to Spain for a year to teach and I fell in love with it so much that, despite having graduated with a business and economics degree, I decided to pursue a career in education. It’s okay to change your mind, because you are worthy and valuable in whatever career you choose!”