Northwestern University Athletics
Sophomore `Cats Explore Industries, Connect to NU Network
5/27/2015 8:09:00 AM | David G. Kabiller NU for Life Program
100+ sophomore student-athletes attend an NU for Life event focused on industry exploration and informational interviews
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The NU for Life program gathered sophomore student-athletes on Tuesday for an interactive session focused on industry exploration and providing an introduction to the art of informational interviews.
Senior student-athletes Kiltie Finsand of women's soccer and Reid Hunter of baseball kicked off the event, speaking about their professional journeys and paths to full-time employment following their upcoming graduation from Northwestern. Finsand will be putting her engineering degree to use working for an industrial supply company, while Hunter will be working in the mergers and acquisitions division for a large retail chain.
The pair continued to introduce the purpose of the first portion of the event, providing sophomores with an opportunity to explore various career paths and post-graduate options through discussions with professionals in 30-minute breakout sessions.
Following this presentation, sophomores divided up into pre-selected groups based on their interests as each student-athlete spent two 30 minutes sessions with separate groups of professionals in the following fields: consulting, finance/real estate, marketing/communications and tech/start-ups/engineering. Breakout groups for student-athletes interested in attending graduate school soon after graduation as well as for those still exploring a wide variety of career options were also offered.
These groups were led by an impressive group of professionals and Northwestern alumni from each industry, including former student-athletes from the football, men's swimming & diving, women's golf, women's tennis and wrestling programs. Professionals shared their stories along with advice for attendees before engaging in broader discussions with student-athletes and answering their questions.
At the conclusion of the event, Finsand and Hunter returned to provide a detailed breakdown of how to conduct an informational interview. Sophomore student-athletes then had the opportunity to hand select a young student-athlete alum with whom they will conduct an informational interview in the coming weeks.
Student-athlete alumni generously volunteered their time for these informational interviews by providing their contact information at a recent NU for Life young alumni event.
The event stressed to sophomores the importance of investing time in preparing for life after college and life after athletics. Through industry exploration via the night's breakout groups, as well as direct connection to young alumni, sophomores took positive steps towards maximizing their professional potential and taking advantage of the powerful Northwestern University network.
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