Mo Gannon (’22), the Luck of Hard Work

There is a famous quote by Thomas Jefferson. “I’m a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more of it I have.” Penn State’s 2022 graduate Mo Gannon has had a lot of luck, and she worked very hard to get it.

Originally from Suwanee, Georgia, Mo is a big football fan and knew she wanted to not only leave Georgia, but attend a big football school. She found her way to Penn State. She arrived on campus and, with some help from her mom, found the Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management major in her first week. From then on it was a lot of luck, a.k.a. hard work, that has eventually brought her to her current position as a Group Sales Executive with the Atlanta Falcons.

“I knew that to be successful, I had to put in the hard work. I’ve always been very career driven. I knew that I might be missing opportunities if I wasn’t working toward something in my career.”

While working on her degree at Penn State, Mo focused on internships. She started with a Leadership Development Internship with Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, which offered classes and training through Shippensburg University. In the Spring of her senior year, she completed an internship with Penn State Conferences and Institutes. She took the summer before her final semester to complete an internship in sales and event planning with the Washington Wizards and then completed RPTM 495A (internship) with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium as an Entertainment and Marketing Intern.

“My internship at the Steelers gave me the opportunity to be involved in anything that happened on the field on game day that wasn’t football,” said Mo.

In addition to her professional internships, Mo was involved in extra-curricular activities at Penn State, too. She served as a student manager for Penn State Men’s Varsity Volleyball. She was a member of the Association of Women in Sports Media. She served on the programming board for Penn State’s Blue White Society. She participated in THON as a member of the Special Events and Entertainment committee. She also participated in RPTM’s co-curricular programs of RPTM 345 (Guest Activities Practicum) in partnership with Marriott Vacation Club.

While earning her degree in RPTM, a minor in Sports Studies, certificates in Meeting and Event Management and Business, and graduating with a 3.89/4.0 GPA, Mo also worked for Penn State Campus Recreation as a Competitive Sports Program Assistant.

Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying “Diligence is the mother of good luck.”

In her current position with the Atlanta Falcons, Mo is part of the group sales team that works with school and community groups to buy tickets and for special events. Her long-term goals are still open. “I would eventually like to work my way up through events and sales or guest services and become a Manager or a Director.”

It’s not all work for Mo Gannon. As she builds her career, she enjoys playing in an adult volleyball league and checking out the many shopping opportunities in the Atlanta area. Mo’s advice to current students is to “try everything.” She encourages students to “try it out to see if you like it. Do practicum. Do Outdoor School.” Work as hard as Mo Gannon, and you can be lucky too.