John Shramek finally got his wish.
The 2012 Castleton State College alumnus is now a full-time sports reporter at The Rutland Herald.
While attending Castleton, Shramek had two internships at the Herald, one writing and reporting sports stories and the other as a photographer. He met Sports Editor Bob Fredette in Fredette’s sports writing class at Castleton and credits him as a professor who helped him join the Herald staff.
“Making connections with professors was important,” Shramek continued. “I checked in with Bob Fredette right after I graduated and started as a part-timer in the fall.”
But the road to full-time employment in his field didn’t come quickly and eventually led him away from the Herald part-time gig.
Sharamek is originally from Castleton and currently lives in Burlington with his girlfriend Shannon Ellis, another Castleton alumnus.
“I’ve been dating Shannon Ellis since high school. She was an accounting major,” he said.
That relationship, he said, led to a move. Then another move. And in the process his part-time sports writing job at the Herald had to be given up.
 “We moved to Massachusetts for a big accounting firm for her and she ended up hating it. Burlington came up and it worked for the both of us,” Shramek said.
Fredette has been at the Herald since 1977 and could tell from the beginning Shramek had talent.
“You can always tell students that are just taking the class and students who have a passion to be there. John had a thirst for writing sports,” Fredette said.
After the move to Burlington, the call came from Fredette that he’d been waiting for, Shramek said. And for the past few weeks, he’s been writing sports stories and helping design pages that readers across the region read daily.   
He’s happy, although not entirely comfortable being interviewed.
“It’s weird being on the other side of this interview for The Spartan,” he said, especially because it wasn’t long ago he was one of the paper’s leaders.
 “I’m so proud of John. He was such a great student and I think he always saw himself as a Herald sports reporter,” said Spartan Advisor David Blow. “He always worked hard and I tell students all the time that hard work pays off.”
Shramek’s father Dennis is a professor at Castleton and is very proud of his son’s accomplishments.
“I know that John enjoys and appreciates working with some of the Herald sports writers whose stories he grew up reading.  And certainly I appreciate that he has this new opportunity at the Herald.”