St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Hosts Career Connections Night
3/27/2018 12:00:00 AM | General
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's student-athletes, members of the band, cheer and dance groups, coaches, administrators, and potential employers filled the D'Angelo Center Ballroom on Monday night, taking part in the department's annual Student-Athlete Career Connections. The event, co-founded by Athletic Director Emeritus Jack Kaiser, was highlighted by a keynote address from former St. John's fencer and three-time Olympian, Keeth Smart.
Over 25 corporate representatives from various industries including sport management, finance, education, and technology were in attendance to network, offer advice, and recruit members of the Red Storm to their respected companies and institutions.
The festivities kicked off with introductory remarks from Dr. Nancy Kaplan, Associate Vice President for Academic Support Services, who welcomed the large crowd to the event.
"The student-athletes represented tonight represent the very best our student body," said Kaplan. "All of the employers here are true friends of St. John's, take advantage of this opportunity."
After Dr. Kaplan's opening remarks, Director of Athletics Anton Goff provided some words of wisdom to the crowd and addressed the student-athletes about the opportunities that lie ahead.
"My biggest piece of advice to you would be to take advantage of this opportunity," Goff stressed. "Who you meet and what you talk about today could be a direct correlation to your career and could benefit you down the road in ways that you don't even know about yet."
Director of Athletic Alumni Relations, Mary Pat Beirne, followed by introducing Smart to the crowd where he spoke about how being a student-athlete at St. John's shaped him into the business man that he is today.
"When I got to walk on campus here, it really was the best thing that could have happened to me," said Smart. "The discipline and skills that you've acquired at St. John's are invaluable and will benefit you for decades and hopefully for the rest of your life."
Smart continued to stress the importance of the skills that student-athletes learn while competing and how easily they translate to the working environment. Time management, working with others, resiliency, overcoming obstacles, and being adaptable were all traits that Smart emphasized in his address.
After Smart concluded his address, dinner was served and student-athletes were able to interact with the potential employers for the remainder of the evening in an open networking session. From the hard-hitting questions about potential career opportunities down to the simplest questions about what to ask in an interview, student-athletes learned how to adapt, enhance, and hone their skills to build relationships and work towards a potential career.
Anointing Onuoha, a member of the track and field team and the SAAC Executive Board, concluded the night's events by thanking all of the potential employers for taking time out of their lives to provide advice and guidance to the student-athletes, as well as thanked the university for providing opportunities such as this.
St. John's student-athletes, cheer, dance and band members have demonstrated their motivation and achievement both on and off the field, excelling in leadership positions and throughout the community, making them strong candidates for employment. Here at St. John's, Student-Athlete Career Connections is just the beginning as the Red Storm start to plan for their future careers.
Players Mentioned
