Jacklyn Adelene: ESPN presenter, Instagram star, PSU senior

With a campus as large as ours, there are definitely some students that stand out.

This particular University Park student has accumulated over 51k followers on Instagram during her time here (a landmark all girls, including myself, desperately wish we could reach).

Meet Jacklyn Adelene. Not only is this Penn State senior drop dead gorgeous, but she’s also extremely talented.

What are you doing at Penn State? 

I studied up at University Park for three years. Now, I am currently finishing up my senior year online through World Campus to give me more flexibility while pursuing my career in broadcasting.

 What has your Penn State experience been like?

Leaving State College this year was a huge decision that I made, and a very bittersweet one. I truly fell in love with the campus, the school spirit and all that PSU stands for. It’s difficult to describe my college experience because I managed to pack so many things into a considerably short period of time. Being a Penn State student gave me wonderful opportunities that I will always be grateful for. Some of my favorite memories were being a TA for Soc119 and BiSci 3, going to Football games and working with the recruiting staff, playing rugby, studying abroad at the University of Vienna in the summer of 2014 with my best friend, and THON.

How did you get started in the broadcasting field?

I have been in love with performing ever since I was a little girl. It started with speech meets and talent shows in elementary school, and later school plays which led to roles in community theater productions and student films. As a college freshman, I had many academic interests, but naturally I was brought back to my roots in performing. Majoring in broadcasting was the perfect fit for me.

How did you land internships with ESPNU and Fox and Socially Awkward? Can you tell me a little bit about your experiences with them and how you got there?

While I was in college, I worked very diligently towards securing quality internships and building my resume. I also had spent a decent amount of time networking with Penn State Alumni who were employed at ESPN. Ultimately, making connections is how I landed the spot and became Penn State’s first campus correspondent in the ESPNU program, but there was a lot of hard work leading up to it. As a Campus Correspondent, I reported on games, conducted interviews, filmed video features and created content that they used on their websites.

This past spring I had an amazing opportunity to work with WTXF Fox 29 in Philadelphia, and it ended up turning into my first on-air hosting position. I started as an intern in the creative services department, but once I had the chance to share my reel with coworkers in the station, it was only after two weeks into my internship that I was asked to host and assist in producing a segment called “#SociallyAwkward” on the Fox 29 Weekend show. The segment highlighted topical stories, social media trends and viral internet sensations.

You can watch some of the episodes here.

What are you doing now, as far as your broadcasting career?

I just recently started working with PhillyInfluencer.com as a sports contributor, and the face of their online video content, which will be released very soon! Apart from that, I signed with agencies in Philadelphia and New York, which keeps me very busy doing freelance TV and film work.

How did you accumulate such a large following on Instagram?

I hopped on the Instagram bandwagon pretty quickly when the app was first released. It wasn’t nearly as popular as it is today- that alone helped me to gain my initial following, but most of my newer following in the past year has been from the exposure I have gotten through broadcasting.

I know that in your career type, social media is huge. How do you think it has helped you?

Social media has been an amazing platform and tool to interact with followers and build my brand.

In the news recently, social media model Essena O’Neill has gained some attention after “quitting social media,” when she came out and told the public how fake it really was. Do you agree with this? 

Not every social media post is exactly how it seems on screen as it is in real life. The concept behind her campaign probably began with good intentions, but if she truly was against the façade of social media, then she would delete her accounts, not use her “platform” to further promote herself. In the end, all of this hype became a springboard to more followers and more social media attention for something she apparently hates and is now capitalizing from, so I think it’s somewhat hypocritical.

Do you consider yourself “Penn State famous” or “Insta famous”?

That’s a really funny question to be asked. I would like to think that maybe one day in the future  I will be well-known when I really break into my career and make a name for myself… I would probably never think of myself as famous, but it’s very flattering and encouraging to have so many people following my life.

What direction would you like to go towards or pursue with your career? What’s your dream job?

The ultimate goal in my broadcasting career would to be anchoring on a national morning show or hosting something along the lines of Kelly & Michael where I can really show my personality.

A month ago, I was cast for small role in a SAG film that was shot in Philly. I had a blast being on set and filming with the cast and crew. Since acting is my first love, it would be incredible to continue getting movie roles.

And when she makes it big, you can say you heard it here first!

If you want to keep up with Jacklyn, follow her on Instagram and Twitter at @jacklynadelene

@themeganbailey