Like the thousands of athletes who competed, Madison Kirchofer '20 forged her journey to the Olympics with years of hard work, dedication and overcoming challenges. And Muhlenberg played a big role in her getting there.

Kirchofer, who graduated with a double major in media & communication and business administration, recently spent two-and-a-half weeks in Paris as ground support for Meta content creators. She works full-time for Team Whistle, a New York-based global sports and entertainment media company whose president is former Mule football player Joseph Caporoso '09. 

Meta hired Team Whistle to represent them on the ground at the Paris Olympics, and Kirchofer assisted four content creators in areas such as ideating, capturing content, editing and captioning. Among the events she attended were beach volleyball, three-on-three basketball, swimming, track & field, archery, BMX and golf. 

"It was an amazing experience," says Kirchofer, who was an athlete herself at Muhlenberg, competing in women's basketball and track & field. "Being at beach volleyball at night when it hits 10 o'clock and the Eiffel Tower is sparkling, that's kind of just a 'pinch-me' moment of like, 'wow, I can't believe I'm here doing this.'"

Although Kirchofer worked primarily behind the scenes in Paris, in her daily duties at Team Whistle she gets to experience both sides of the camera, producing content for others and herself. She was the lead social producer on branded campaigns for clients such as Nike, State Farm, Paramount and Walmart+, and she also is currently producing and hosting her own interview-style show called Barrier Breakers, where she interviews female athletes and talks about all things women's sports. 

As she has risen through the ranks at Team Whistle, from part-time intern in the summer following her graduation, to social media coordinator when she was hired full-time in early 2021, to her current position as creative producer, Kirchofer draws on her experiences at Muhlenberg.

A student worker in the Office of Communications & Marketing throughout her time at Muhlenberg, Kirchofer served as an intern in the summer after her sophomore year, photographing and interviewing more than 50 summer research students for feature stories published on the College's website.

"I would talk to them about their research, asking them questions from behind the lens, making sure they felt comfortable when we're trying to take these pictures," she says. "I wanted them to feel very candid and natural. 

"It was almost like producing in a way," she adds. "A big part of my day-to-day now is meeting new people and being able to have conversations with them and make them feel natural. So I think that was a cool experience that I got from Muhlenberg."

Kirchofer admits to being nervous the first few times she put herself on camera but has since grown more comfortable. "I think a lot of that is through pushing myself out of my comfort zone," she says. "Honestly, everything that has scared me has ended up being the best for me."

With help from the Muhlenberg Career Center, Kirchofer began corresponding with Caporoso during her senior year. Since her hiring and her recommendation that Team Whistle begin putting faces to its brand, her position has exploded to the point where covering the Olympics was just the latest in an enviable series of assignments.  

Kirchofer has been to the Super Bowl, March Madness, the U.S. Open, the NBA in-season tournament and the NFL game between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars in London's Wembley Stadium. She has a particular passion for women's sports, especially the WNBA, and has covered Volleyball Day in Nebraska, the Women's Final Four (where she got to interview Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese), the WNBA and the WNBA draft.  

Just prior to the Olympics, Kirchofer attended the WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix, where she met legendary player Sue Bird. "I was talking to her and I was like, 'I work in the sports industry,'" she recalls. "And she's like, 'Oh yeah, I know. I've seen your content.' And she referenced this exact interview that I had with Sheryl Swoopes."

"That was such a cool moment where I was like, 'wow, the stuff I'm doing actually is reaching the right people.'"