BroncoLife Celebrates 20 Years
Boise State’s BroncoLife program commenced in 2002, and 20 years later, its focus remains the same, preparing student-athletes, both personally and professionally, for life after athletics.
“BroncoLife was created with the intention of supporting the whole-person experience of Bronco student-athletes beyond the classroom and playing field and to emphasize the importance of service to our community and world throughout their lives” the program’s founder, AnnMarie Johnson said.
Twenty years later, the program has added some new areas of focus and structure. In 2017, the William Carey Hay Foundation awarded BroncoLife a matching donation, doubling the program’s budget. The donation allowed Sara Whiles, the assistant athletic director for student-athlete development and director of BroncoLife, to dedicate her time to the program’s expansion. The staff has grown and now includes two full-time staff members and two graduate assistants.
“It (BroncoLife) has adapted and evolved because the needs and challenges of our student-athletes are continually changing,” Whiles said. “However, the foundation of supporting the whole person doesn’t change.”
BroncoLife today emphasizes four of the six key areas of Broncos United, Boise State’s internal initiative that focuses on the investment of its people, including personal growth and development, professional development, community involvement and equality/belonging. Each year, as student-athletes move through the program, they hone in on different skills concerning these four core areas. The new structure follows along with a sports analogy: Learning, Practice, Coaching, Gameday.
Student-athletes are introduced to BroncoLife as freshmen in Academic 101, a course taught by Whiles. The course assists in acclimating student-athletes to college life, LEARNING time management skills, financial education, the value of first impressions and volunteering in the community.
Moving into their second year, student-athletes are given opportunities to PRACTICE communication skills, learn about their strengths, build healthy relationships and begin the career exploration phase.
As juniors, BroncoLife focuses on COACHING, feedback and reflection. This summer, a five week internship program is being launched and will provide student-athletes work experience in various Boise State athletic department offices. Next year, the program hopes to expand the internship program into the community.
Senior year is referred to as “GAMEDAY,” as student-athletes navigate their final year of college, interviewing for jobs and preparing for life after sports. In late January each year, BroncoLife holds its signature event, “Connect.” Held at Albertsons Headquarters, the event welcomes over 100 business professionals in the community, giving Boise State student-athletes the opportunity to connect with specialists in their respective fields of study.
“That night is one of my favorites, there is so much energy and excitement around the room,” Whiles said. “These young men and women are student-athletes, but they are so much more than that. Through these large networking events like Connect, smaller career exploration groups, and 1-on-1 discussions and personal reflections, they start to discover who they are outside of their sport.”
“Our BroncoLife program is one of the most important pieces of what we do here in Bronco Athletics,” director of athletics Jeramiah Dickey said. “When we talk about providing an elite student-athlete experience, we’re not just talking about competition. We’re talking about academics, preparing young men and women for life beyond athletics and helping mold future leaders, both here in the state of Idaho and throughout the country. I couldn’t be more proud of our efforts with BroncoLife.”
In the world today, student-athletes are not alone in feeling the pressures of time management, multi-tasking and balance in life. The BroncoLife staff has always made it a priority to listen to coaches and current and former student-athletes for feedback to provide meaningful content to help our student-athletes graduate and feel confident and connected to the next phase in life.
“One of my favorite aspects of my job is to walk with our student-athletes as they discover what’s next for them after graduation and their career in sports. Then, seeing them come back and want to mentor the next generation is very rewarding,” Whiles said.
For more information about the BroncoLife program and how to get involved, please email broncolife@boisestate.edu