Alumni Spotlight: Celina Allen '89

Alumni Spotlight: Celina Allen '89
By Chris Mitchell '95

1989 Granite City High School graduate Celina Allen is in her 17th season with the St. Louis Cardinals, and has three roles within the organization: Corporate Sales Assistant, Account Services Executive and Spanish Broadcast Coordinator.

Allen, who resides in Pontoon Beach with her husband of 30 years Dave, have three boys: Bryan (29), Bryce (27) and Brayden (23) and one granddaughter Olivia.

She sat down with GCSD9 Manager of District Communications Chris Mitchell to discuss growing up in Granite City, her various roles with the St. Louis Cardinals, the opportunity to give back, and advice to she would give to GCSD9 students who want to work in professional sports.

1. Talk about growing up in Granite City and what your interests were? 
I was an average kid, weekends were mostly spent with family. I went to Stallings for kindergarten, then St. Elizabeth School 1^st-8^th grade, and Granite City High School. My favorite high school teachers were Mr. McBride, Mrs. Perdue-Tapp, and Mrs. Spudich. They all genuinely wanted me to achieve higher than what I thought I was cut out for at that young age. I am still truly grateful for what they saw in me that I didn’t.   

2. You have spent 16+ years with the St. Louis Cardinals in various role – what makes this such a special organization? The history of the St. Louis Cardinals speaks for itself. The organization really does care about its fans, “PERIOD.” I dislike the Monday-morning quarterbacks on talk radio who imply otherwise. Not only does the organization care about its fans, but also the employees. Ownership has shown this in many ways—championship rings, fun perks, and taking the whole front office on multiple trips to other stadiums, just to name a few. Plus, we have one of the largest active alumni groups in MLB, which speaks highly of this organization and our alumni staff. 

3. Talk about your current role with the Cardinals. I’ve had a few different jobs at the Cardinals, most recently in Corporate Sales. I wear many hats in this role, first as the department assistant. I have 18 co-workers, so I assist in scheduling meetings, distributing tickets, organizing trips with sponsors, etc. Also, I’m an Account Service Executive, fulfilling assets in contracts for partners, coordinating stadium signage changeouts, and assisting with sponsored theme events. 

And last but not least, I am the Spanish Radio Coordinator, working closely with the Spanish Broadcasters, coordinating their schedules. I am always researching trends for Spanish marketing and searching for opportunities to incorporate Spanish language at Busch Stadium to make it more welcoming to the Hispanic community. 

4. What do you enjoy most about your job? I’ve been part of amazing events, working closely with our “Red Jackets” (our Hall of Famers) and many other great alumni. Seeing the joy they bring to fans of all ages and all walks of life is so amazing. I am really grateful to be a part of the alumni team. One of my biggest accomplishments in working with this club is being a part of producing and growing the St. Louis Cardinals Spanish Radio. We’ve grown the broadcast to 40-plus games a year, not including Spring Training and Post-Season games. 

, growing the Spanish Radio Network to now be one of the largest in all of MLB. We’ve started the St. Louis Cardinals Spanish social media too. We are continually growing our listenership and Hispanic fans in St. Louis and beyond. It’s been really important to me to be able to broadcast the game in Spanish for Hispanic fans to be able to hear the game they love in their own language. I am mostly proud of being an advocate for making Busch Stadium more welcoming to Hispanic fans.

5. You had the opportunity to visit three GCSD9 schools in the Spring and spend time with our ESL students. What do you take away from those visits? First, I want to thank the district again for allowing us to visit with the ESL students. It was very special for me to share a little about what I do with them! When I was growing up, Granite City had few Hispanic students that as a Latina, I could bond with or share general Hispanic heritage pride. I definitely didn’t have Latino or Latina mentors, there was no one that I could look up to who looked like me or spoke Spanish like me. It meant a lot to see the Latino students feel seen when our Spanish broadcasters visited with them and shared their stories. We made sure to tell them the importance of learning English and that being bilingual was their superpower to be able to achieve any goals they aspired, big or small.

6. What advice would you give a GCSD9 student who wants to work in professional sports? Don't restrict yourself to focusing on just one specific job; there are a variety of careers in sports. Discover every facet of the organization, offer assistance and volunteer when you can, and—perhaps most importantly—build relationships. You never know whom you could cross paths with or who could be of future assistance. Find your superpower and use it to achieve your goals!

For more information about Granite City School District #9, visit www.gcsd9.net.