When Hannah Rafferty ’16 visited campus during an admitted students day, she didn’t think she would end up attending Syracuse University. That quickly changed.
“I had no intention of coming here. I had just applied on a whim. And we got on campus and I said, ‘I think I’m going here,’” says Rafferty.
For Hannah, Syracuse checked all the boxes: a larger school with a tightknit feel; a student body and alumni network that took pride in its school; and a sport management program that could set her on the path towards her career goal, a sports agent.
She enrolled as a sport management major and became highly involved on campus. As a University-100 student ambassador she gave campus tours to prospective students and families. The spring semester of her junior year was spent in London through Syracuse University Abroad. She joined the Orange Pulse Dance Troup, Women in Sport and Events Club, and the Sport Management Club. Each experience helped shape her vision for her future.
In particular, the Sport Management Club and its annual Charity Sports Auction opened her eyes to a possible new career path. Each year, students in Sport Management Club hold an auction during a Syracuse Men’s Basketball game with all proceeds benefitting a Syracuse area charity. During Hannah’s junior year the beneficiary was the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central New York, which had a lasting effect on her.
Hannah Rafferty ’16 alongside a classmate at the Charity Sports Auction during Hannah’s junior year, which benefitted the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“I really saw the impact of collective action. That if a lot of people came together, and worked hard together, it could make an impact on the community,” Hannah says. “And I realized community-focused work and events were more so where I wanted to be.” Even when the auction was over, Hannah remained involved with the local Make-A-Wish chapter and later, when she moved to Philadelphia, was connected with the Make-A-Wish chapter there to continue her work.
Her senior year also opened another door. She met her future husband, Luke Rafferty ’16, a photojournalism major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, through Syracuse University’s Remembrance Scholars program. Both were chosen as Remembrance Scholars and were members of the program’s Community Impact Committee. They married in 2019.
In the years after graduating, Luke worked as a freelance videographer while Hannah worked in marketing before moving into corporate event planning. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, canceling events for the foreseeable future, Hannah’s position was eliminated. A few local non-profits hired her to plan virtual events, creating the opportunity for Hannah and Luke to work together.
“You needed videos for the virtual events, so Luke and I started working together that way,” Hannah says. It was the start of what would later become their company: Filmiamo Productions, with Luke handling the technical side and Hannah using skills she honed through the sport management program to manage all production logistics and oversee client development and relationships.
Hannah and her husband, Luke Rafferty ’16, with equipment they use for the company they started together, Filmiamo Productions.
Their client list includes the American Red Cross, Make-A-Wish, the Jewish Federation of Philadelphia, and other Philadelphia area non-profits. They also work with companies like American Airlines, JetBlue, and Visa, showcasing their community initiatives.
In starting their company, they leveraged Syracuse University’s expansive alumni network and community to connect with clients.
“[Luke’s] Syracuse connections lead him to a variety of different clients. Now we’re like five, six, seven steps removed from that, but probably 85% of our business stems back to connections at Syracuse,” Hannah says.
Her bond with Syracuse University and the Falk College of Sport is something Hannah is passionate about continuing to grow. She joined Falk College’s Emerging Leaders Council (ELC), a group of young alumni who provide guidance to current students, assist with capstones and internships, and help them prepare for their futures.
She joined the ELC with encouragement from fellow sport management alumna Alyssa Wood ’15, who Hannah had heard speak at the admitted students day she attended. By chance, Alyssa became Hannah’s Peer Advisor her freshman year and the two became close friends, with Alyssa later serving as a bridesmaid at Hannah and Luke’s wedding.
As an engaged alumna, Hannah has made a Hill Society gift through the Falk Student Experiential Learning Fund to help students access all types of experiential learning, something that, at times, felt out of reach for Hannah as the daughter of a single mom.
“I recognize the value of experiential learning, and I didn’t always feel I could afford those experiences while I was in college,” Hannah says. “I don’t want another student to have that financial barrier to having that hands-on experience that is so valuable to education.”