Being a Division I student-athlete is an amazing experience.  At UMass Lowell, the mission to develop the complete student-athlete is always top of mind. 
 
However, given the rigorous academic and athletic schedules this unique group is tasked with, many are unable to take full advantage of experiences such as internships, career fairs and overall workforce preparedness. Recognizing that success is not only measured on the athletic field and in the classroom, the River Hawks have launched new programming which focuses on post-collegiate career readiness.
 
Alison Quandt Westgate, Associate Athletic Director for Academics and Student-Athlete Services, is intent on making sure that UMass Lowell's student-athletes have a clearer idea of their futures before they graduate. This summer, her team collaborated with UMass Lowell's Career & Co-Op Center and Athletic Corporate Partnerships to create a program that took members of the ice hockey, and men's and women's basketball teams on site visits to area partners.
 
"Being able to provide our student-athletes the opportunity to go through this process is so important because by the time they do have to hang it up, they'll already have been thinking about the future and be better prepared for what's to come," said Quandt Westgate.
 
The student-athletes visited five facilities, including Sophos, Red Hat, Kronos, Mill City Grows and Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union. These stops included tours, presentations, and question and answer sessions with employees to give the student-athletes insight on their career paths.
 
"This is another great example of how entrenched our corporate partners are with our athletic department and student-athletes," said Senior Associate AD Eric Allen for Corporate Partnerships and Development. "They continue to allow us to lean on them when we have new ideas and initiatives that benefit our student-athletes. We are fortunate to have such great support from them."
 
UMass Lowell's Director of Career Services, Kerry Willard Bray, echoed similar sentiments about being a part of this new programming.
 
"Career Services is excited to collaborate with Athletics, specifically Student-Athlete Services and the Corporate Partnership team, on this valuable initiative," she said. "Having the opportunity to work directly with our student-athletes is helping us get to know them and to enable the student-athletes to feel comfortable seeking us out to take advantage of the services and support we offer. We look forward to building on this partnership in the future."
 
The student-athletes involved have enjoyed adding this to their summer schedule.
 
"It's definitely a great opportunity for us," said Ryan Lohin, a rising senior forward for the men's hockey team after a visit to Kronos. "It's something we wouldn't get to do if it weren't for this new program. It was good to have some UMass Lowell [alumni] be able to speak with us and give us a look into their business life."
 
This summer's program has been a series of experiments with the aim of finding the best methods to appeal to the student-athletes. Quandt Westgate explained that a priority for next time is expanding to different industries and sports teams.
 
"We're working out the kinks, making sure we're getting our student-athletes exposure to a variety of industries. That's one thing that we'll probably continue to work on so that we have something for everyone," she stated.
 
Though many of the facilities that have been featured are more business-oriented, Quandt Westgate said that the advice that they offer is hardly specific to any given industry. Lessons on improving résumés, mastering job interviews and crafting the perfect LinkedIn profile are transferable skills, which can prove useful to any athlete, from business majors to psychology majors.
 
"It's really about how to market yourself. How to form your résumé so that it's attractive, and highlights the fact that you're a student-athlete with skills to bring," explained Quandt Westgate. "It almost doesn't matter which industry it is that we're visiting, it's more about what our student-athletes can take away about how to market themselves."
 
The approach has worked splendidly, according to the student-athletes.
 
Katherine Smith, who is embarking on her graduate degree while playing out her final year of NCAA eligibility on the women's basketball team, found the sessions to be "super useful."
 
Getting the opportunity to tour different facilities is great for those student-athletes who have questions about their career futures, Smith said.
 
"I think especially fresh out of school everything [is] trial by error," Smith explained. "You can think you really want to work a specific job, but then you get that job and it's not exactly what you thought it was. I think being patient and knowing that it's going to take some time is important. You might not find your dream job right out of college, but just continue to find mentors, connect with people and learn."
 
Smith, Lohin and redshirt-junior Christian Lutete of the men's basketball team all found the sessions on self-promotion to be helpful.
 
"When you're applying for a job or preparing for an interview, you can use what they tell you, take bits and pieces from each one and master that. So when you do go out and look for a job you're ready," added Lohin.
 
Smith found the presentation on LinkedIn, which was given by Kronos Vice President Kristen Brown, to be one of the most interesting. The athletes learned various tips to strengthen their profiles on the professional networking site in the hopes of making themselves more attractive job candidates. Perhaps one of the most eye-opening moments for the student-athletes in attendance was Brown's explanation for how they can use their experiences on teams to enrich their résumés.
 
"You would think you would want to woo them with a résumé and everything, but they're all really understanding because we play sports. They just want us to be ourselves," stated Lutete.
 
Touring different corporate environments has been an experience that all three athletes say they are endlessly grateful for. Lohin was sure to emphasize that all of the student-athletes in the program felt the same way as he did: that the experience was invaluable for their professional development.
 
Smith praised the efforts of the team at UMass Lowell who worked tirelessly to bring the project to fruition. "We're all super grateful to our academics people, career services and the corporate partnership team. They all put this together for us and it's great," she said.
 
The student-athletes have not been the only ones to find it an invigorating experience. Michelle Silveira, Jeanne D'Arc's Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, was overjoyed to host some of UMass Lowell's best and brightest on Aug. 9.
 
"I think this program is excellent because you get into school and you're focused on getting your degree. I think getting a feel for what other people are doing in various industries is just an excellent way for them to open their mind and think long-term, 'what can I do with the degree that I'm receiving,'" she explained.
 
Nicole Neves, a campus recruiter for Kronos and a UMass Lowell alumna, said that when any students visit Kronos to tour, it is a priority of theirs to make sure that they understand the culture.
 
"We try to encompass what it would look like for them to actually work here, and what previous experience that our interns have had. When they're seeing the students in that video, it gives them an idea of what it would look like when they're here, as well as set realistic expectations for students," she stated.
 
The opportunity to host UMass Lowell student-athletes in their respective workplaces was not only an act of loyalty to the institution they sponsor, but one of genuine concern for student-athletes' futures.
 
"We have a great relationship with the athletic department, so anything we can do to get in front of the students just to tell them a little more about us and who we are always solidifies the relationship," said Silveira. "Any time we can be a part of any program, not just for student-athletes, but any other programs, is just a win-win for us, as well as the student-athletes. Maybe one of us becomes a mentor to them one day, and when they have questions, they feel a little more comfortable reaching out to us."
 
Neves, speaking from the perspective of Kronos, agreed.
 
"It's just great to kind of give back to the community. Since we are Lowell-based, it's a nice chance for us to work directly with students who are in this community who can impact us, and we can impact them."
 
As the summer winds down and the student-athletes' free time dwindles down even further, Quandt Westgate finds herself planning how to continue the momentum into the approaching school year. With more athletes on campus, there is a chance that the program could reach even more upperclassmen.
 
"Being able to utilize the connections through career services, as well as our alumni network and family of corporate partners to be able to offer a breadth of opportunities is going to be huge as we go through the year, whether it's résumé workshops, LinkedIn workshops, etc.," said Quandt Westgate.
 
Though the time commitment will be great, and the trials of rolling out a new program will inevitably pop up throughout, student-athletes are ready for the challenge. In addition to focusing on the next game, they also look ahead to the next ten years. While it may be difficult for them to fully conceptualize all of the information that they take in both this summer and during the year, there is no doubt that this program is a world of help.
 
"We're all going to work someday down the road, so it's good to get accustomed to what to expect and tour these places, local business that have past UMass Lowell graduates," concluded Lohin. "Everyone that goes, everyone on our team has a great time. Everyone feels like they benefit from it, and hopefully we can continue to engage with more connections like these as part of our total UMass Lowell experience."
 
Any UMass Lowell alumni or local businesses interested in being a part of this career development programming in the future can reach out to Quant Westgate (alison_quandtwestgate@uml.edu).