Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 1 | August 2019

inside.hokiesports.com 13 During the summer, several Hokie student-athletes utilized their time off to participate in career development and prepare for life after sport. The Virginia Tech Athletics Department’s Office of Student-Athlete Development provides a few ways for these student- athletes to connect with employers and gain valuable experience for their future careers. One opportunity is the Hokie LEAD Internship Program, which allows student-athletes to Learn, Experience, Achieve and Develop (hence, the LEAD acronym) through mentoring and internships. This program exposes participants to careers within their majors; assists them in preparing for life after graduation; offers networking, mentoring and professional development opportunities; and develops student-athletes into highly marketable candidates for future employment opportunities. Hokie LEAD provides internship positions for four areas within Virginia Tech athletics: the business office, HokieVision [the department’s video office], Virginia Tech Sports Properties [a multimedia rights marketing company under Learfield/IMG College] and the Office of Student-Athlete Development. In addition, there is a position with Joba Design, a local graphic design and marketing company. There are five student-athletes taking advantage of this program: Molly Sheffield, Annalee Johnson and Aaron Boyd from the swimming and diving teams, Grace Chavez from the softball squad, and Taylor Caskey from the lacrosse team. “Hokie LEADhas givenme an opportunity to explore areas within the athletics department that I would not normally have the opportunity to explore,” Sheffield said. “I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to explore Student-Athlete Development, as well as other jobs within the athletics department and gain interests in areas I did not have much knowledge on. It has given me resources and connections that I would have never gained. It has helped me grow as a person and has given me the opportunity to build my network. All that will help me in my life after college and athletics.” In addition to theHokie LEADprogram, theOffice of Student-Athlete Development played host to the inaugural Career Trek, a collaborative effort with Clemson’s Office of Student-Athlete Development. The Charlotte Sports Industry Career Trek included a tour of Spectrum Arena (Charlotte Hornets) and participation in a sports industry panel with professionals from the Charlotte Hornets, Charlotte Checkers, and ESPN. TECH student-athletes take advantage of internship opportunities this summer by Natalie Forbes Senior Director, Office of Student-Athlete Development During the panel, professionals stressed the importance of expanding one’s network by developing relationships, being able to translate one’s experience during the job search process, and catering one’s resume to fit the job posting. The nine student-athletes who attended were able to continue the discussion during lunch with the panelists, and to conclude the day, student-athletes had the opportunity to tour of Bank of America Stadium (Carolina Panthers) and continue discussion with industry professionals on traits that they seek in candidates. “It was great seeing students take initiative to learn more about the sports industry and their future careers,” said Alexandra Anaheim, manager of inside sales for the Hornets. “Being a part of events like this is a step in the right direction.” “I felt like the trip not only helped me learn valuable skills to get ahead in the sports industry, but I also walked away feeling so confident in my future career path,” Caskey said after participating in Career Trek. “The trip showed me that people are happy and successful in sports careers, and those are two of the most important things to me.” Outside of the programs provided by the Office of Student-Athlete Development, many Virginia Tech student-athletes take it upon themselves to pursue their career goals by landing internships in their fields of interest. This summer, Tech student-athletes had internship positions with a variety of companies, including Nike, PepsiCo, various accounting firms and more. Hayden Kickbush, a men’s soccer student-athlete majoring in finance and accounting, interned in the investment banking sector of Compass Point Research and Trading, LLC. When asked about his internship experience, Kickbush relayed all that it taught him. “At my internship, I was able to use the team-working skills I developed with my soccer team and apply them to a real-life scenario other than athletics,” Kickbush said. “Working at an investment bank gave me great exposure to so many different industries and opportunities, as well as enabling me to work alongside some very intelligent and successful people. “It was great to be able to apply what I had learned during the school year to something other than a test or quiz, and probably even more valuable is the knowledge I am returning to Blacksburg with for the fall semester. My internship has not only helped me earn some money for Bull and Bones and pizza, but I also have far greater clarity on what I want regarding a career path, and the networking opportunities from my internship will hopefully prove invaluable down the road.” Hokie LEAD interns are provided with professional development opportunities during the internship program. Megan Munsey, a talent acquisition specialist from Enterprise, presented on “Transferable Skills: Athlete to Executive” to the summer 2019 class.