Crimson Tide Student-Athletes Reap the Benefits of the 2020 SEC Career Tour
12/7/2020 3:24:00 PM | General, Men's Tennis, Gymnastics, Rowing, Women's Tennis, Swimming & Diving, Track & Field, Cross Country
Usually an in-person event held in conjunction with the Southeastern Conference Football Championship Game week, this year’s SEC Career Tour was held virtually
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Crimson Tide student-athletes from six different teams took part in the recent Southeastern Conference Career Tour, which in the time of COVID-19, was held virtually this year.
Usually limited to two student-athletes from each of the SEC's 14 schools, this year's virtual tour allowed more participation in the three-day interactive personal and professional development forum.
"After this week I'm no longer worried about my time as a student-athlete coming to an end because everyone who spoke infused so much confidence in our futures and belief in our success," Darcy Jennings said. "As my senior year comes to a close and I continue to look ahead to my future in the workplace I will keep affirming that I am more qualified than I think and realize that to truly succeed I need to be my authentic self."
Champion Allison (men's track & field), Cole Brown (men's swimming & diving), Alba Cortina Pou (women's tennis), Emily Gaskins (gymnastics), Jeremy Gschwendtner (men's tennis) and Jennings (rowing) took part in the event which featured several sessions per day with a variety of speakers, including SEC alums on their transition to life after athletics.
"The SEC Career Tour was an awesome experience that I will carry with me forever,' Brown said. "I learned about myself and how to improve as a leader, made meaningful connections and got to know other SEC athletes as well."
Topics included career advice, job and internship search strategies during a pandemic, the importance of building relationships and tools for personal and professional branding from corporate partners Atlanta Hawks, Chick-fil-A, and Cox Communications, Serviam Partners, Growing Leaders and Fieldhouse Media. Â
"We received a lot of valuable information and also learned life lessons during the week," Allison said. "They talked about the importance of always striving and never giving up because you never know where you could end up. My experience (with the SEC Career Tour) has been remarkable and will help me plan as I graduate in May."
Along with powerful messages from a number of different speakers from different industries, this year's Tour concluded with a talk by renowned leadership expert Dr. Tim Elmore.
"We had the great fortunate to hear Dr. Elmore talk about the importance of knowing who you are and your values and including them in your life decisions will be your compass for life," Cortina Pou said. "We also heard from Kevin Deshazo (Fieldhouse Media) who presented tools for personal branding on social media, and how to enhance better communication within a team by understanding that everyone has a different leadership style. The whole week was a great learning experience, and I look forward to continuing to grow by applying all these lessons into my life."
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