TOWSON, Md. – Armed with business cards, portfolios, and resumes, numerous Towson University student-athletes filled the SECU Arena concourse during the Tiger For Life Student-Athlete Job Fair, presented by NewDay USA.
Student-athletes met with prospective employers, received career advice, and sat for one-on-one interviews. The event also gave them an opportunity to ponder their career paths and set themselves up for success away from the playing field after graduation. The event was held exclusively for Towson student-athletes.
"We're excited to have so many employers here as well as so many student-athletes," Towson Deputy Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator Tricia Turley-Brandenburg said. "Being able to connect them to opportunities post-graduation is the point of Tiger For Life. Hopefully, we make a lot of great contacts today. We're pretty excited for our student-athletes as well as the relationships we are building with the employers here."
The Towson University Department of Athletics partnered with the Towson University Career Center to make this program possible. This was another critical component of The Total Tiger Program, which takes a 360-degree view of the development of Towson's student-athletes.
"This was a really cool event and I am so excited that we had this opportunity to interact with prospective employers," Towson junior women's golfer Jenny Buchanan said. "Being able to talk with them in person was valuable and in my opinion makes a huge difference. They get to learn about us, tell stories, and laugh. They loved to hear where I played golf and that helped me relate to them."
In addition to meeting representatives from several companies, student-athletes got tips on resume writing, enhancing their personal brand, and tips for following up once the event ended.
"Today was a lot of fun," Towson redshirt junior Zane Ventimiglia said. "I loved the amount of opportunities we had available to us today. I know I made it a point to visit as many of the different tables as I could. They're coming here to recruit student-athletes so they already understand the demands we have. Usually when you go out to apply for a job or internship, you have to tell them that you're an athlete and there's sometimes certain restrictions on what you can do and what hours you can work."
The current Towson student-athletes also had an opportunity to see former athletes in the roles of recruiters. Former men's lacrosse standout Travis Love works with NewDay USA and former women's track and field athlete Lindsay Pinckney works with the Baltimore Ravens. They enjoyed the opportunity to assist and make a difference.
"It's nice to give back to Towson," Pinckney said. "This was an amazing event. We didn't have something like this when I was here so I was really happy to be here and contribute. It was a great turnout and the student-athletes were so professional. You can tell they were really well-prepared for today so kudos to the athletic department. My advice to the student-athletes is to be able to articulate the values that being an athlete has taught you. Sports teaches you so much about time management and dealing with adversity. Employers love athletes."
In addition to Ravens and NewDay USA, employers in attendance included Anne Arundel Police Department, Athletes Go Pro, LLC, Automotive Training Institute, AXA Advisors LLC (Baltimore), Baltimore County Fire Department, Baltimore County Police Department, Cintas Corporation, City Year, College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving, Enterprise Holdings, Fastenal Company, Freedom Mortgage, HEX Performance, High Sierra Pools, Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore, Marine Officer Selection Programs (Newark, Delaware), Mariner Finance, Maryland National Guard, Morgan Stanley, Northwestern Mutual, Prudential Advisors, SECU, Target Corporation, Techtronic Industries, NA (TTi), The Sherwin-Williams Company, Triumvirate Environmental, U.S. Army, Towson University Study Abroad and Towson University Alumni Association.
