From Granite City to Cardinals: Allen’s Inspiring Journey

GRANITE CITY - Celina Allen, who graduated from Granite City High School in 1989, has what many would consider a dream job in St. Louis.

She's in her 17th season working for the St. Louis Cardinals, and currently serves the ballclub as a Corporate Sales Assistant, Account Services Assistant, and is also coordinator for the team's Spanish-language radio broadcasts, helping out Polo Ascencio and Bengie Molina, who call all home games on WIJR, 880 AM, in Highland, serving the area's increasing Spanish-language population.

In an interview with the school district's communications manager, Chris Mitchell, and posted on the district's YouTube channel, Allen discussed her various roles with the Cardinals, her opportunities to give back to the community, and what advice she would give to those looking to work for the St. Louis-area's pro sports teams - the Cardinals, Blues, BattleHawks, and St. Louis City SC.

In growing up in Granite, Allen described herself as an "average kid," and gave credit to a trio of teachers in high school who encouraged her to follow her dreams.

"I was an average kid; weekends were spent with family," Allen recalled. "I went to Stallings for kindergarten, St. Elizabeth (Catholic) School, first through eighth grade, and Granite City High School. My favorite high school teachers were Mr. (Bob) McBride, Mrs. (Mary) Perdue-Tapp, and Mrs. (DeeMana) Spudich. They all genuinely wanted me to achieve higher than what I was cut our for at that young age. I am still truly grateful for what they saw in me that I didn't."

Allen is also very grateful to work with such a storied and historical franchise such as the Cardinals, whose 132-year tradition is still revered in St. Louis, and is one of the cornerstone franchises, not just in Major League Baseball, but in all of American professional sports.

"The history of the St. Louis Cardinals speaks for itself," Allen said. "The organization really does care about its fans - period! I dislike the Monday-morning quarterbacks on talk radio who imply otherwise. Not only does the organization care about its fans, but also the employees. Ownership has shown this in many ways - championship rings, fun perks, and taking the whole front office on multiple trips to other stadiums, just to name a few. Plus, we have one of the largest active alumni groups in MLB, which speaks highly of this organization and its alumni staff."

Allen's current role with the Cardinals involves mainly corporate sales and services, along with being the Spanish-language broadcast coordinator.

"I've had a few different jobs with the Cardinals, most recently in corporate sales," Allen said, "I wear many hats in this role, first, as the department assistant. I have 18 coworkers, so I assist in scheduling meetings, distributing tickets, organizing trips with sponsors, etc. Also, I'm an Account Service Executive, fulfilling assets in contracts to partners, coordinating stadium signage changeouts, and assisting with sponsored theme events. And last, but not least, I am the Spanish radio coordinator, working closely with the Spanish broadcasters, coordinating their schedules. I am always researching trends for Spanish marketing, and searching for opportunities to incorporate Spanish language at Busch Stadium, to make it more welcoming to the Hispanic community."

Allen considers it an honor to work with the Red Jacket alumni, the living members of both the Cardinals and baseball Halls of Fames, and other past players, coaches and managers in the organization. She also takes pride in helping to grow the team's presence in the Hispanic community as well.

"I've been part of amazing events," Allen said, "working closely with our Red Jackets, our Hall of Famers, and many other great alumni. Seeing the joy they bring to fans of all ages and all walks of life is simply amazing. I am really grateful to be a part of the alumni team, One of my biggest accomplishments in working with this club is being a part of producing and growing the St. Louis Cardinals Spanish radio network. We've grown the broadcasts to 40-plus games a year, not including spring training and postseason games. growing the Spanish radio network to be now one of the largest in MLB. We've started the St. Louis Cardinals Spanish social media, too. We are continually growing our listenership, and Hispanic fans in St. Louis and beyond. It's been really important to me to broadcast the games in Spanish for Hispanic fans to be able to hear the game they love in their own language. I am mostly proud of being an advocate for making Busch Stadium more welcoming to Hispanic fans."

Allen has also had the opportunity to visit with and help out Granite students who speak English as a second language, and took away very positive experiences with them. and also shared her experiences growing up as a Latina in Granite City.

"First, I want to thank the district again for allowing me to visit with the ESL students," Allen said. "It was very special for me to share a little about what I do for them. When I was growing up, Granite City had few Hispanic students that, as a Latina, I could bond with, or share general Hispanic heritage pride. I definitely didn't have Latino or Latina mentors, there was no one I could look up to who looked like me, or spoke Spanish like me. It meant a lot to to see the Latino students feel seen when our Spanish broadcasters visited with them and shared their stories. We made sure to tell them the importance of learning English, and that being bilingual was their superpower to be able to achieve any goal they aspired, big or small."

Allen also gave very sound advice to young people who dream of working in professional sports, not just the St. Louis-based teams, but anywhere in the country and the world.

"Don't restrict yourself to focusing on just one specific job," Allen said "There are a variety of careers in sports. Discover every facet of the organization, offer assistance, volunteer when you can, and, perhaps most importantly, build relationships. You never know whom you could cross paths with, or who could be of future assistance. Find your superpower, and use it to achieve your goals."

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