St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Student-Athletes Attend Career Night
3/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | General
March 28, 2006
QUEENS, N.Y. - Nearly 70 Red Storm student-athletes had the opportunity to interact with potential employers and consider what life after college might have in store on Monday, as St. John's Athletics hosted its career night. The event took place in Bent Hall on the Queens campus and was sponsored by Northwestern Mutual.
"Student-athletes are so focused on academics and athletics that they may not have enough time to spend on what they want to do afterwards," said Patricia McManus, the Director of the Career Center at St. John's. "This gives the student-athletes the opportunity to interact informally in a more relaxed environment. Many alumni want to help and give student-athletes a chance to ask questions and this gives them a chance to start their path to a career and job search."
The evening began with a buffet dinner and time for student-athletes to speak with St. John's alumni and other professionals. St. John's Director of Athletics Chris Monasch then welcomed everyone to the event and introduced the keynote speaker, Bob Wolf, the President and Founder of the Help Other People Excel (HOPE) Foundation.
During Wolf's speech, he spoke about three key skills for effective communication, which may help an individual land a desired job.
Student-athletes were then given the opportunity to interact with the professionals sitting at their respective tables. The student-athletes were able to ask questions, gain valuable advice and collect business cards. After fifteen minutes, the students switched tables to speak with professionals in their desired career field. Afterwards, student-athletes were given time to network with anyone they chose to.
"You have to think about this in terms of other students and what these student-athletes gain from attending something like this," said Tim Szlosek, Director of Development of Northwestern Mutual. "These athletes get to sit with successful people and are given the opportunity to sit and meet them and gain such worthwhile advice. It's a rare opportunity to have something like this across the country and it shows what great resources St. John's has for its student-athletes. It says a lot of about the Athletic Department's integrity."
"It's a great opportunity to find out more about what you want to do in life and talk to people with real life experience, said John Kutner, captain of the St. John's lacrosse team. "As a student-athlete potential employers know that we know how to balance things, such as school, athletics and a social life. This gives us a competitive edge that will help us become successful in the working world."
-Red Storm-