GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org)--The Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) and North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) collaborated to host the Preparing for a Career in Sports Workshop on Saturday, November 14.

More than 50 students from the PAC and NCAC participated in the daylong virtual workshop, developed in response to the ongoing initiatives of the NCAA’s Office of Inclusion and the Division III Diversity and Inclusion working group.

Workshop participants engaged in programming designed to help with charting their career paths while providing opportunities to learn from peers as well as key decision-makers at the campus, conference and national levels of college athletics. Participants gained knowledge from a variety of interactive discussion sessions and received key professional development resources and career planning strategies intended to ultimately equip them with the confidence and know-how needed to land their first jobs.

"The workshop was such an engaging, worthwhile experience that I’m so glad that I got to be a part of. I never realized how much the sense of community that you develop from playing college sports carries over into the professional field, and I’m so lucky to have been introduced into such a great network of people,” said Katie Hahn (Volant, Pa. | Wilmington), a junior women’s soccer player at Washington & Jefferson College. “Having the opportunity to learn more about my leadership style through the DISC assessment workshop was truly eye-opening and helped me better understand the role I play on a team--something that will resonate with me no matter what career path I choose to pursue."

Both the PAC and the NCAC secured grant funding through the Division III Diversity and Inclusion working group aimed at developing programming opportunities focused on ethnic minority and female students.

“Being able to partner with our friends from the North Coast (Athletic Conference) to provide an opportunity like this for our students was terrific. We knew pulling off this event in the virtual space was going to be challenging, but our participants, panelists and session leaders remained active and energetic throughout the workshop,” said Kevin Fenstermacher, deputy commissioner of the PAC. “We are committed to finding meaningful ways to offer career readiness and professional development experiences while helping our students create connections within the landscape of college athletics, and I hope all of our workshop participants came away with some new ideas and approaches to assist in pursuing careers in sports.”

The workshop was facilitated by Ayanna Tweedy (bio).

Sessions throughout the day included:

• DISC Assessment Review with Eileen Segura (bio) and Roberto Sasso (bio).

• How to Maximize Your Potential: Strategies for Launching your Career in Sports with Marsha Florio (bio) and Julie Soriero (bio).

• Start Smart: Practical Advice About Planning For What’s Next with Ahmad Boyd (bio), Janet Oberle (bio) and Kiana Verdugo (bio).                

• The Art of Speaking Without Speaking with Will Baggett (bio).