D.R.I.V.E. for Success Networking Night
2/22/2017 12:46:00 PM | General
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama Athletics Department, through its D.R.I.V.E. for Success program, hosted a Networking Night recently that was focused on former student-athlete coming back and providing mentorship for the current generation of Crimson Tide student-athletes.
"It's pretty exciting to be back at the Capstone and for the University to put this event on for the student-athletes, where they have to opportunity to network with former student-athletes who have been in their shoes and who are now out there in the career fields that the current student-athletes are interested," Leslie Claybrook, Assistant Commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, who played basketball for Alabama in the early 1990s, said.
"For us to have the opportunity as former student-athletes to give back is pretty special. It's a good opportunity to be around them and pave the way for the next generation of folks that are going to be out there doing great things."
The concept behind Networking Night is for the more than 50 Alabama junior student-athletes who were in attendance to realize the importance of not only building a viable network, but bringing value to any network they are a part of. The night featured more than a dozen members of the A-Club, the Tide's letter winner organization, as professionals.
"The Networking Night was a great event," women's golfer Nicole Morales said. "I learned the finer points of what can be a difficult situation to navigate. I enjoyed meeting with business professionals in my desired field of communications. I thought it was extremely useful to pick their brains on how to make a great first impression, how to create a great LinkedIn profile and how to stand out as a job applicant. Student-athletes don't normally have the opportunity to pursue internships during the year, but events like these help us in our next steps after our athletic careers at UA."
That desire to learn and grow isn't lost on the former student-athletes who came to lend their expertise to the event.
"These student-athletes are very impressive," J.C. Ranelli, President of J.C. Ranelli and Company, Inc., a member of the Tide's baseball team in the late 1960s and the current president of the A-Club, said. "Any life experience that you can pass on to these young kids, they'll take advantage of it very quickly."
The night provided current-student athletes the opportunity to not only hear about different networking skills, but put them into practice during the event.
"Tonight provided more of an intimate setting to practice our skills," cross country runner Josh Short said. "It also gives you an overall feel for what your elevator pitch should be."
Opportunities such as Networking Night are invaluable in terms of preparing Crimson Tide student-athletes for life after college. It's hard to overstate the importance of networking out in the working world. It is the No. 1 job search tool with statistics show that 80 percent of jobs are secured through networking.
"One of the things I encouraged them to not do is take anything for granted," Atokie Boman, investment advisor representative for Primerica and UA football player in the late 1990s said. "Make sure that you take full advantage of everything that is given, even relationships. Networking is networking, but names on a business card, that's not a relationship.
"Relationships come from talking to people and building relationships over time. It's a great honor to be able to give back to the student-athletes in that way and plant a seed because every seed, if it's planted in the right place and in the right soil, will blossom into something great."
