Student Awarded Sports Media Scholarship

After battling cancer, Molly Jacob finds success, follows passions

An enthusiastic recommendation from Sacred Heart University Professor Lori Bindig Yousman helped junior Molly Jacob, 19, become this year’s recipient of the Ann Liguori Foundation Sports Media Scholarship. Jacob earned the award due to her talent and tenacity despite a chaotic freshman year, taking on a cancer diagnosis alongside her academics. The scholarship will provide Jacob with opportunities to strengthen her skills in the field.

The scholarship supports young women who are pursuing careers in what is still considered to be a male-dominated field. Awarded by the New York Women in Communications Foundation, the scholarship recognizes Jacob as an up-and-coming leader in the field. Liguori was the first woman to host a call-in sport’s show on the radio station, WFAN-NY. She did that for over 20 years and is now the host of “Talking Golf with Ann Ligurori.” She also covers golf and tennis competitions for a variety of radio programs and podcasts. Her foundation raises money for cancer patients.

“I’m thrilled that Molly’s talent and hard work has been recognized with the Ann Liguori Foundation Sports Media Scholarship. It is highly competitive, and the fact that Molly was chosen as this year’s recipient acknowledges her as an outstanding student and leader at Sacred Heart,” said Bindig Yousman, who is also chair of the communication studies program in the School of Communication, Media & the Arts.

Sacred Heart’s sports communication & media program drew Jacob, of Oxford, to Sacred Heart. “It was like hitting treasure, because we have great connections in the program, and we are close to New York and Boston,” said Jacob. “When we say we’re in the heart of the sports broadcasting industry, it’s true.”

Jacob’s enthusiasm belies her difficult start at SHU, when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer just as she was settling into her college experience with new friends and a fresh campus.

Jacob was determined to balance her medical appointments and student life, to the point that she was back at work only four days after surgeons removed her thyroid. “It taught me that life is so precious. You want to be able to wake up every single morning and reach a new goal for that day. How am I going to get closer to my career goals?” she said.

Her illness inspired her to branch out on campus and involve herself in more clubs and extra-curricular activities. “I asked myself, ‘What can I do to give myself a reason to be excited to go to school every day?’ I don’t want to just go to class. I’ve never been that type of student. I love being busy,” she said.

Currently, Jacob is president of the sports media club, filming assistant for SHU’s football team, a classroom learning assistant for adjunct instructor Mario Miranda’s introduction to media productions course and a production runner and research assistant at YES Network.

“From the moment I met Molly, I could see that she was bright and determined and would go far in the field of sports media,” said Bindig Yousman. “It’s been a pleasure watching her take advantage of the numerous opportunities available to her through the School of Communication, Media & the Arts!”

Jacob describes her scholarship win as “refreshing.” She also is grateful that others appreciate her hard work, especially when her own self-reflection isn’t always as positive.

Ready for more, Jacob is excited to see how the scholarship propels her career forward and enables her to explore new opportunities. She already has had the opportunity to speak to Liguori, the scholarship’s namesake, over Zoom and found her “so informative and encouraging.”

Jacob shared her own personal “words of wisdom” for any other hard-working students looking for purpose.

“Just always remember who you are and why you started. Part of the reason why I love the downside of what happened to me freshman year is because I found myself. Finding yourself is so important in life because that’s what’s going to set you up for success,” said Jacob. “Just enjoy yourself and make sure that you have no regrets.”