Tar Heels Plan For Future Success At Annual Fair

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – North Carolina student-athletes looked ahead to life after graduation at the eighth-annual UNC Student-Athlete Career and Networking Fair, held in the Blue Zone at Loudermilk Center on Jan. 16. A total of 46 companies, organizations, graduate programs and individuals – the largest number in the history of the event – came to recruit and network with Tar Heel student-athletes.

"It's always special to come back to campus," said Ben Craig, a UNC graduate and former Carolina football player who returned to represent Deloitte. "It makes me proud to be a Tar Heel seeing how our school takes care of its athletes and provides them with opportunities like this."

With employers at tables throughout the Blue Zone area, student-athletes circulated to learn more about opportunities and career paths. This year's fair drew nearly 150 student-athletes, a record crowd for this event.

"I really liked the networking event," said Feline Guenther, a junior on the field hockey team who is majoring in business administration. "Since I am looking for an internship opportunity for Summer '19 I got a great insight into a variety of career paths. I talked to people of different occupations who told me about their daily schedules. They gave me new and very interesting insights in their industries, which is extremely helpful when looking for internship opportunities."

A notable aspect of the fair is that many of the company representatives, like Craig, are themselves former UNC student-athletes. The shared perspective is a plus for those on both sides of the table, as the alums can easily put themselves in the current student-athletes' cleats, while appreciating even more the qualities that student-athlete bring to companies.

Matt Williams attended the fair as a student, when he was a member of the UNC wrestling team. This time he was back as an associate at Red Ventures.

"As an undergraduate, this event was a unique opportunity to talk to former athletes about what traits carried over well into the workplace," Williams said. "As an employer, it was an opportunity to speak to the diversified talent of the student-athletic community. I appreciate the intimacy of it being held in the Blue Zone and find it more impactful to interact in these small groups. If I can help one student-athlete land one internship or full-time job at my company or another, I will consider my time spent at the career fair more than successful."

The turnout is yet more evidence that employers place a high value on many of the traits student-athletes practice every day, such as teamwork, competitive drive, grit and time-management skills.

"Student-athletes are a special group," Craig said. "They already have an understanding of the work and dedication required to become elite at something, and it's what makes companies like Deloitte so eager to recruit them. After all, nothing in the first three years of my job has been as difficult as Blue Dawn."

Blue Dawn, the early morning conditioning program during the time that Craig was on the UNC football team, might not initially seem like great job preparation. But it's one of many ways Tar Heel student-athletes challenge themselves while also balancing their academic responsibilities. In so doing, they're building skills that will serve them well after their athletic careers, whether that's at graduation or following a professional career. As the famous NCAA commercial points out, most won't go pro in sports, but even those lucky enough to do just that can benefit from practicing their networking skills.

"We want to give our student-athletes the tools they need to thrive after they graduate from UNC, wherever they're headed next," said Dana Gelin, UNC's Coordinator of Career Development for Student-Athletes. "Whether it's a job search, medical school, a gap year or a pro career, they benefit from practicing their networking skills and presenting their strengths in a professional setting. We offer opportunities all year for them to do that, but this fair provides the advantage of having lots of employers and connections all together in one place."

This year's fair emphasized networking, drawing even those who aren't actively searching for jobs or internships. Several former Tar Heel student-athletes who are students at the UNC School of Medicine staffed a table to talk with undergraduates about the path to medical school.

The fair also highlights Carolina Athletics' many collaborations, most notably with University Career Services, a key partnership and source of ongoing programing and support.

"I was impressed by the energy and excitement in the room at the Student Athlete Career and Networking Fair on January 16^th," said Jonathan Adams, an Assistant Director at University Career Services who staffed a table at the fair and meets with student-athletes on a regular basis. "Forming connections with current students, alumni and others in your field is a great way to learn about opportunities, explore career paths and build your network. Our student-athletes took full advantage of this opportunity by sharing their enthusiasm and experiences with recruiters and alumni that also share the same enthusiasm for the work they do. Networking is an essential component of career exploration and job searching, and it was clear that students gained momentum in their process by attending the event."

Thank you to all of the companies, organizations and mentors who attended the 2019 UNC Student-Athlete Career and Networking Fair. For information on future fairs please contact Dana Gelin at dgelin@unc.edu

2019 Student-Athlete Career and Networking Fair

ACC Network/GoHeels Productions
AdWerx
Advance Auto Parts
ALDI
Altria
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Carolina Athletic Hospitality
Carolina Center for ABA and Autism Treatment
Charlotte Hornets
Chapel Hill Fire Dept
Chapel Hill Police Dept
Chapel Hill/Durham Magazine
Coach For College
Coastal Credit Union
Deloitte
Dude Solutions
Durham Bulls
E&J Gallo Winery
Elon Univ. School of Law
EmergeOrtho
Enterprise Holdings
FBI
Jury-X
Mass Mutual
NASCAR Drive for Diversity
Northwestern Mutual
Orange Theory Fitness
Personify
Performance Instruction and Training (PIT)
Plexus Capital
Procter & Gamble
Scott Pryzwanski (contact for networking about broadcasting, communications and PR)
Red Ventures
RE/MAX United
The Social Institute
Tar Heel Sports Properties
Teamworks
Techtronic Industries (TTI)
Three Zeros Environmental Initiative
TransPerfect
U.S. Marine Corps
UNC Police
UNC School of Medicine
University Career Services
University Temporary Services
Untappd, Inc.
Wasserman

For information on the UNC Student-Athlete Career and Networking Fair please contact Dana Gelin at dgelin@unc.edu.

Related Videos