As the Super Bowl inches closer, the excitement in the greater Phoenix area is tangible. There are posters for the big game wherever you go, and foot traffic is noticeably higher. There is one former West-MEC student, though, who may be more excited about the game than most.
Brenna O’Donnell is a Law and Public Safety program completer, and her hard work has created a phenomenal opportunity.
O’Donnell has locked down a role with S.A.F.E (Security, Athletic Facilities and Events) Management as a security guard for Super Bowl 57, played by the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. She credits West-MEC for preparing her for such a role.
“I had a lot of fun in the program. The certifications we got were very helpful in getting me this position,” said O’Donnell. “Learning a lot of what goes into law and public safety and the processes of everything really helped prepare me for this kind of security guard position with S.A.F.E Management.”
O’Donnell completed the Law and Public Safety program in the Spring of 2022 and graduated from Mountain Ridge High School during the same time.
This will only mark the fourth time Arizona has hosted the Super Bowl, so opportunities to work at events like this don’t come around every day for Arizonians.
O’Donnell is very excited about this opportunity, but it is not her first security role or even her first role at a sporting event doing security. She has previously worked with S.A.F.E Management doing other football games and a boxing match. She has some experience and will put that and the skills she learned at West-MEC to use.
“I’ll be covering entry and exit. We will be running bags through metal detectors and do general patrolling as well,” said O’Donnell.
To be a security guard at an event like this, you must be cool, calm, collected, and able to work well in teams. Thankfully for O’Donnell, these were all traits taught in the Law and Public Safety program.
“In the program, we would be assigned squads. You had to work with everyone in the class at one point or another, you couldn’t pick your partners,” said O’Donnell. “You had to work with everybody and it created a very close-knit environment where everybody had respect for each other. This is how it is in the real world, you aren’t going to be able to pick your partners or co-workers but you always have to have respect.”
The Super Bowl is on February 12 at State Farm Stadium, typically home to the Arizona Cardinals.
