LOWELL, Mass. - UMass Lowell Athletics hosted its fourth annual River Hawk to River Hawk Women's Mentoring and Networking Night at Moloney Hall in University Crossing on February 6.
 
The event paired 20 alumnae, ranging from 1976 to 2022, with 150 current River Hawk student-athletes. The Women's Mentoring and Networking Night aims to connect current student-athletes with successful former student-athletes from a variety of professions in the surrounding communities.
 
"It's one of my favorite nights of the year," said Associate Athletic Director for Academics and Student-Athlete Services Alison Quandt Westgate. "We are now a few years into it where we have alumnae coming back, who went through the program as a student-athlete and are now on the other side giving back; there's nothing cooler than that."
 
Nora Baston '95, '00, a former women's basketball player and current Boston Police Superintendent, was thrilled to come to campus to be part of the night, emphasizing the theme of giving back.   
 
"The event was amazing, just to be able to give back to the current UMass Lowell student-athletes, to talk and share my stories," commented Baston.
 
Baston enjoyed the opportunity to connect with and serve as a mentor for the next generation of student-athletes at UMass Lowell, explaining that giving back is something everyone should strive to do.
 
"My journey to the Boston Police Department started here and I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for the athletic department and the whole entire campus at UMass Lowell, but especially everything I learned on the basketball court," she explained. "I think mentorship is really important and underrated. These student-athletes can give back, as well. Being an athlete, they have the tools and secrets to be successful, and no matter what career they choose, and I hope they always remember to go down and pick up the person below them to make them just as successful."
 
Darcy Hornberger '04, '10, who was a member of the River Hawk women's soccer team during her college career and is now a senior staff composite design engineer at Wisk, added that events like this one show current student-athletes that they have an entire support system out there that they may not have known about.
 
"I think it's really important to help current student-athletes realize that there is a network out there for them," said Hornberger. "We can help them figure out their career or maybe find their first job, connect them with the right people. If someone hadn't done that for me, then I probably wouldn't be where I am."
 
Horenberger, like all the alumnae at the event, tried to impart her best advice on the future professionals. However, she noted that the takeaways from the evening definitely went both ways.
 
"I tried to tell them to treat their career as a student-athlete as a job and be able to talk about all those skills they've acquired during their time as an athlete in a professional setting because I think they are all really translatable skills in the job market. But mostly, I just tried to find a way to relate to the current student-athletes. They are so amazing, they have so much going on and are dealing with different challenges than I dealt with, so it's good to learn about their perspective, and try to find a way to help and support them the best we can."
 
The current student-athletes had the opportunity to rotate tables to meet, network and learn from the alums throughout the course of the evening. Many had the opportunity to hear from women who played for the same team or who are working in an industry that they hope to pursue.
 
"I love that we get to interact with our alumnae, hear their experiences, listen to their stories and what they've taken from the program being a student-athlete here," said Emily Nelson, a graduate student on the women's soccer team.
 
"Events like these are extremely important because they shed light on opportunities that you have available, not just through UMass Lowell, but through the network we have available to us as River Hawk student-athletes," added Jenn McCarry, a sophomore on the women's lacrosse team.
 
From résumé advice to interview tips to career paths and so much more in between, the current student-athletes left the event with new knowledge to draw from and connections to lean on.
 
"This is my fourth networking event since I've been here and each year you learn something a little different," Nelson explained. "As a freshman, you learn to enjoy your time here as a student-athlete and take in all the things that UMass Lowell has to offer. Now as a grad student, I'm listening to a little different advice about career paths and what it's like after being an athlete. Just listening to their experiences, they have so much outside of being an athlete that they are willing to share with us to carry into our own careers."
 
"They're all really great leaders and have awesome jobs," concluded McCarry. "It just shows how great this university is and how many opportunities there are here."