Journalist. Producer. Storyteller.
Writing Samples
Please contact patrick.sanderson16@gmail.com for more samples.
Finding something new after losing everything
Longwood men's tennis coach Jhonnatan Medina-Alvarez endured hardship in his home country of Venezuela as a professional tennis star, being a high-profile person in a corrupt and recently violent country. He dropped out of school to pursue tennis professionally; however, as his riches grew, he faced the common trappings of fame due to his wealth in a typically poor country. A very well-put together and genuine man, you would've never guessed he lost everything, witnessed death and stared down the barrel of a gun.
Longwood tennis coach Jhonnatan Medina-Alvarez balances coaching and getting a college degree.
Via therotundaonline.com
As the NFL protests, Longwood athletics says student-athletes can protest freely
Amid the national anthem protests in the NFL spearheaded by Colin Kaepernick, I had extended interviews and conversations with Longwood athletics to discuss the ongoing national anthem protests and how they will approach any demonstrations locally. This story delves into the internal decision Longwood made to allow student-athletes to exercise their rights to demonstrate freely.
*2018 Virginia Press Association award-winner
Longwood women's soccer collectively decided not to demonstrate during the national anthem, as the university saw no protests amid NFL demonstrations.
Via therotundaonline.com
Bethesda to the Bigs: Tim Kurkjian's persistence led the writer from local fields to baseball's biggest stage
ESPN MLB analyst Tim Kurkjian grew up in the neighborhoods of Bethesda, Maryland, with a passion for sports journalism. This story covers how he persisted through numerous challenges, including being told he shouldn't take up writing as a career. However, he persevered through the criticism, to reach his ultimate goal: covering Major League Baseball.
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Patrick (left) discussing journalism, media and the job market with ESPN MLB analyst Tim Kurkjian (right) over lunch in July 2020.
Photo by Bruce Adams
Moss academy camp goes 'beyond football'
Santana Moss runs an annual summer football camp in Loudoun County, Virginia, as a way to get kids involved, learning from one of the best to do it in Washington. However, his camp was designed to teach kids more than just how to run basic routes. Beyond that, he wants to build character and give back to a community in which gave him more than he could have asked for.
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For former NFL star Santana Moss hosted his annual Moss academy camp in 2018, dedicated to giving back to his community.
Photo by Doug Stroud/Loudoun-TImes Mirror
Home away from home
For international student-athletes, the adjustment to life away from home can prove to be a struggle. Being away from family, not knowing anyone, and in some cases, the culture shock can make adjusting to their new lives for the next few years a difficult adventure. Longwood University boasted 40 total foreign athletes in the 2018-19 school year, with 57.5 percent coming from Europe. The majority were male with 23, with women having 17. However, after interviewing multiple international student-athletes, they found it wasn't too difficult adjusting to their home away from home.
Longwood soccer player Sherif Maalouf, native of Cairo, Egypt, was one of 40 foreign athletes at Longwood in 2018-19, and one of only five from Africa.
Via therotundaonline.com
