Matthew Mancini, 16, hopes to pursue a career in sports media and communication.
Mancini, or Matt, as he prefers to be called, has aspired to work in sports media since the age of 10 or 11. He follows sports closely, reading every story on NFL Mobile.
Leora Schloss, at right, takes notes with Carolyn Martinez.
“I’ve always had a passion for remembering sports information and statistics,” said Mancini, who lives in Colchester.
However, Mancini has yet to gain experience in the field of sports broadcasting. There are no journalism or broadcasting programs at his school. Mancini is on the lookout for a broadcasting internship where he can begin to gain exposure to sports broadcasting techniques.
Despite his lack of formal training, Mancini does have some experience with video editing. As one of his hobbies, Mancini creates videos by combining various clips from the NFL.
“It’s just for fun, not for YouTube,” Mancini said.
Mancini attends Bacon Academy in Colchester, where he will be a junior in the fall. His twin sister, Alex Mancini, attends a technical school in Lebanon, the next town over.
Being a twin isn’t always easy for Mancini. In addition to questions about them looking alike (they don’t) and acting alike (again, they don’t), Mancini has an added responsibility because his sister has autism.
As the oldest sibling in his family and her twin, Mancini is responsible for caring for his sister. Even though they are the same age, she is not as capable of taking care of herself as a typical teen, Mancini said. It often falls to Mancini to assist her.
Mancini also has a 12-year-old brother, Nick. All three siblings live with their mom, Jennifer, who works as a nurse at Windham Hospital, and their dad, David, an employee of the Newington Department of Transportation.
In his free time, Mancini enjoys playing tennis and video games.
Leora Schloss is a student at SAR High School, New York