Together, the Women’s Sports Foundation and NBC Sports offer a mentoring program designed to help student-athletes translate the valuable skills they have acquired through participation in collegiate sports into successful careers.
The Student-Athlete Mentoring Program is an initiative designed to inspire and support collegiate female athletes as they explore potential career paths. Due to rigorous academic, training and competition schedules, student-athletes often have little time for internships and therefore lack job experience. The program, piloted in 2019 in partnership with NBC Sports, is aimed at helping student-athletes prepare to enter the workplace, and at providing valuable mentorship and tools that can lead to greater economic potential.
During the program cycle, student-athletes are engaged in events and webinars focused on career development, network-building, personal branding, communication and interviewing skills. NBC Sports employees are paired with each athlete, serving as one-to-one mentors, who share their professional experience, insights and advice on how to navigate the work environment.
Jacqueline Manno, 2019 Participant – University of Connecticut, Women’s Lacrosse
“I thought having a mentor in the field that I eventually want to work in was very helpful. She helped me network with different people and it was nice to have someone to go to for professional advice. She is a great example for who I eventually want to be, so it was really nice to have someone to look up to in a professional setting.”
