Bronco Student-Athletes Embrace Opportunity to CONNECT with Local Business Leaders
2/14/2024 11:54:00 AM | General
BroncoLife event provides first hand experience to practice networking skills
On January 29, in the spacious atrium at Albertsons local corporate headquarters, more than 200 Bronco student-athletes, dressed in their best business attire, attended CONNECT, an event hosted by BroncoLife to provide a stage for student-athletes to gain insight from local business professionals, explore different career paths, and expand their network.
Of the 130 business leaders in attendance, many commented on the professionalism and preparedness of the student-athletes attending the event, including representatives from the William Carey Hay Foundation, who have invested in BroncoLife for the past seven years.
"The student-athletes who attended CONNECT 2024 were clearly enthusiastic for the opportunity to make inroads into possible future careers. While many students made it a point to greet us and engage in brief conversation, we were particularly impressed by members of the women's gymnastics team, whose solidarity as a 'family' was as palpable as their individual diversity of interests."
One of those gymnasts, Elaina McGovern, a junior from Richmond, Ky., who is pursuing both her bachelor and master's degree in math, took full advantage of the chance to meet one-on-one with local business leaders.Â
"CONNECT is a great opportunity for student-athletes to meet a lot of the business professionals from the Boise area," said McGovern. "The event provides the first little taste of what it's like to network and really be in a professional setting."
West Ada School District Superintendent, Derek Bub, opened the event by offering guidance to the student-athletes.
"Studies show around 30% of college graduates work within their major," said Bub. "That translates into 70% of you finding work outside of your field of study. I want to challenge you to be courageous. Don't shut the door or limit your scope to one industry but look at all opportunities."
In addition to one-on-one networking, student-athletes could attend multiple industry panels in the fields of business, communications, education, health, nonprofit, public service, sales, and STEM, an umbrella term used to group together the technical disciplines science, technology, engineering, and science.Â
"At some point your time's going to run out as an athlete and you need to have a plan," saidÂ
Tyson Degenhart, a junior on the men's basketball team, "Part of that plan is getting a degree and the other part is building your network. A quote mentioned tonight was 'your network is more important than your net worth' and 'it's who you know not what you know.' I think that's a big part of this event, just getting to know people."Â
Due to her psychology major, the first panel junior Brook Thompson (softball) attended was health where she soon discovered the career opportunities didn't match her passion, so she took a risk and attended the sales panel.
 "The second panel I attended was outside my circle, out of my comfort zone," said Thompson. "I met with representatives from Coca-Cola who shared that someone with my personality is exactly the type of employee they seek. It's just all about building connections with others."
Now in its fifth year, CONNECT is BroncoLife's largest professional development event. BroncoLife is student-athlete development in alignment with sport. BroncoLife provides programming that encourages and empowers student-athletes to act and behave in accordance with their values, be positive influences in their community, and discover their full potential as leaders in both their college careers and lives after Boise State.
"Our BroncoLife program is one of the most important pieces of what we do here in Bronco Athletics," said director of athletics Jeramiah Dickey. "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 prouder of our efforts with BroncoLife."
The impact of BroncoLife programming extends well beyond events like CONNECT and reinforces the investment the athletic department pours into the student-athletes individually.
"I'm just so grateful that Boise State has a program like Bronco life that really emphasizes how much the department cares about us not only as athletes but also as people," said McGovern. "It's just really reassuring to know that all of the staff is supportive of all the endeavors that we're doing both inside and outside of the gym. They're equally important."
Are you interested in learning more, how you can get involved, or support BroncoLife? Please email Sara Whiles at saraswanson@boisestate.edu.
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Players Mentioned
