Name: Kevin Melega
Sport played: Soccer
Years played: 2005-2006, 2008
Year graduated: 2009
Academic major/minor: Communications/Business
Current address: Portland, Maine
Please share some of your favorite SJC memories - on and off the field:
There are too many to list, but I would say the entire 2008 season was one I’ll never forget. That was the year when everything turned around for the men’s program. Everyone bought into the system and the team mentality. We all did our jobs and the results followed. While we just fell short of winning the GNAC Championship in an absolute battle of a game against Norwich, the tone was set for future conference championships. We were able to raise the standard for the men’s program, from just another team to expecting to win the conference every season.
The support we received that year was unbelievable. When I think back to my freshman year, the only people showing up to our games were essentially family members. Thank you very much Mom and Dad. In 2008, the hill at Westerlea Way was a sea of blue - especially during our playoff run. I still laugh remembering Kevin Palmer and Jae Ennis carrying “the couch” down from the suites to watch our home games that year. The traveling support was great too, we were one big family no matter where we went.
Notable performances as an SJC athlete:
2006: D3 Independents Player of the Week, D3 Kicks All New England 3rd Team, All Independent 1st Team
2008: GNAC All Conference 2nd Team, GNAC All Conference Sportsmanship Team, Captain
Where are you employed? Please tell us your job title, duties, how long you've been there, etc.:
I work at CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange) where I’m a digital marketing manager. A typical day involves analyzing/optimizing online campaign performance across search and display advertising, email marketing, and social media. Other duties include supporting our marketing managers with strategy and execution for online campaigns. I’ve been at CIEE a little over two years. Prior to that I worked at an advertising agency in Portland from 2009 to 2012.
What do you do for fun?
Anything outdoors: going to the beach, kayaking, skiing, playing soccer, guitar, and relaxing with friends. Last fall, I started coaching soccer with fellow alum and teammate, Greg Cavanaugh, who’s the head coach at Westbrook High School.
