Hometown: Meridian, Idaho
Major: Communication
Graduation: 2015
“CWI empowered me to meet, build relationships with, and accept people from all walks of life,” said 2015 graduate, Shane Larson.
A husband, father, and sports fanatic, Shane came to College of Western Idaho (CWI) to fulfill his life-long dream of getting a degree in hopes of providing a better life for his family.
“It took longer than I anticipated, but it was worth it in the end!”
Graduating from CWI with a degree in Communication in 2015, Shane went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in Communication from Boise State University.
“CWI provided me with a platform that launched my education to the next level. I learned an immense amount about myself and others – many of whom I didn’t get along with or agree with. It was great for me to learn how to build relationships with people from all different backgrounds because that what happens in real life.”
It was at CWI where Shane fell in love with the storytelling aspect of communication. Today, as the creator and host of The Gametime Guru, a podcast designed to offer a panoramic view on sports, Shane is applying his education – through the art of storytelling – to share his love of sports, and people, with listeners.
“I get to hear all these people’s stories, hear their journeys, and talk to people who I never thought I’d talk to. With more than 120 episodes released, I’ve built some amazing relationships with people across the globe in the world of sports including my idol, Roberto Bergersen, and sports super-agent, Leigh Steinberg, who the movie, “Jerry Maguire”, was made after.”
The podcast, initially created to build his resume, has grown from 50 downloads to 2,500 to 4,000 downloads a month and has branched out to every state in the United States since its debut nearly three years ago.
“I’m an advocate of living your dreams, especially if I’m going to teach my children to go towards their own dreams in the future. Sports broadcasting has been a dream of mine since I was eight years old. This podcast provides me an opportunity to live out my dreams. I didn’t go to ESPN right out of college, but I’ve been able to publish my content on a public platform and share it all over the world. It’s been an unbelievable ride!”
