Bringing the hill to life

Photo Credit: Marth Howe/ Killington Resort

Being in your last semester of college can be a worrisome time in students’ lives. But not for John Everett, a 25-year-old Castleton University senior who is set to graduate in the spring.

Through hard work, passion, and dedication, Everett was able to land his dream job in the winter of his senior year working for Killington Resort as a social media and content coordinator for Killington Parks.

The job entails filming riders in the park, editing photos and increasing the brand of Killington Parks.

“Overall, I run the Killington Parks brand via all of their social media platforms. I coordinate all of their content through their channels, and on a daily basis I am constantly on the hill coordinating with different riders in order to build the brand, as well as increase brand affinity,” Everett said.

Everett first enrolled at Castleton University in 2011 as an exercise science major, but left Castleton and moved back to Philadelphia after finishing his freshman year. He then worked at Costco for several years before ultimately deciding to go back to school and pursue an education in media and graphic design.

“I saw my friends that had graduated and they were doing jobs they were really happy with and passionate about. I was jealous of that because I was just working my ass off not doing what I wanted to do” Everett said of his time away from school.

“I found out that Castleton had a communication program with a focus in digital media, and I thought that was a path for me,” he said.

Once back at Castleton, he began riding Killington and filming and editing footage of friends in the various parks around the mountain. Former suitemate Tyler Bernatovich was often the guinea pig for Everett’s film sessions.

“He’s a smart dude. He’s good at what he does because he takes his time setting up the photos,” said Bernatovich describing working with Everett.

It wasn’t long before Everett was able to turn that hobby into a career, as Killington Parks was looking for an individual to spearhead their social media page.  Everett applied for the position with guidance from Castleton University Graphic Design professor William DeForest.

“What I did was help him organize his files, help choose what he should show and not show during an interview. But more importantly my advice to him was take one of your images, make an ad for Killington using their graphic standards, and use it as the last piece of your portfolio,” DeForest said.

Everett’s path to his dream job can serve as an example to many other students in similar positions.  Whether they are graduating and applying for their dream job in their career field, or an entry level job in order to gain experience, having the right attitude can make all the difference.

“The trick is to find something you are passionate about. You have to really be persistent and just grind. You can’t have the mindset that you will be compensated every step along the way.  You want to find a position that you are willing to grind for,” Everett said.

    

    

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