CHAMPS/Life Skills Career Night
3/19/2012 12:00:00 AM | Redzone
March 19, 2012
By Sports Marketing Academy Intern, Bianca Pomponio
On the evenings of Monday, Feb. 27 and March 12, the Miami University Athletic Department hosted “Career Nights” for its junior and senior student-athletes. The Career Nights connect current student-athletes with Miami Athletics alumni to provide the students with career development insight.
The overall goal for the Miami Athletic Department is for every senior to graduate with either a job or graduate school acceptance by the time they leave. These two Career Nights were only the first steps in achieving the ultimate goal, and the department hopes to host many similar events in the future. With each of these events, the department hopes to strengthen every student-athletes’ interview and networking skills.
Through these events, the department hopes to start the Miami Mentors program between alumni and student-athletes. The program would consist of alumni helping student-athletes with career development strategies and support, along with job shadowing, networking, and overall career opportunities.
During Career Night, student-athletes were placed at tables with an alumnus based upon similar majors and professional interests. The student-athletes were given a chance to ask questions about the specific profession that the alumnus is involved in, and the alumni were able to offer direction for post-graduation plans.
The alumni represented at the Career Nights ranged from the class of 1961 to 2011, with varied careers between graduate students, teachers, architects, coaches, accountants, the medical field, engineers, and many others. Some of the alumni included Bobby Goldwater (’74), President of The Goldwater Group, LLC; Gail Kist (Track and Field ’83), Superintendent of Mason City Schools; Ray Frick (Football ’68), Fricker’s Restaurant Owner; Jim Lallathin (’72), President of Loroco Industries Inc.; Ginny Walker (Volleyball ’85), Chief Enterprise Architect, and many more.
Miami alumni interested in sponsoring a student-athlete and becoming a Miami Mentor are asked to email miamimentors@muohio.edu with contact information (name, email, phone number, occupation, sport played). A member of the Red & White Club will reply to the emails.