Life Skills Hosts 11th Annual Networking Night

Nebraska Life Skills hosted the 11th annual Networking Night in Memorial Stadium on Sunday night, inviting all sophomore student-athletes to start building their professional networks with over 30 professional guests. To kick the event off, student-athletes in attendance heard from Senior Deputy Athletic Director, Garrett Klassy, on best practices for building a strong professional network to see them through their careers moving forward.

"I appreciated the opportunity to get my name out there and get a head start connecting with others in the professional world. One thing I definitely took away from the event was that I have to reach out and be proactive in forming these relationships within my network," said football student-athlete, Casey Rogers.

In addition to remarks from senior staff, student-athletes sharpened their knowledge of professional dress in a "Dress for Success" fashion show involving current student-athletes and facilitated by professional stylist, Cameron Van Hoose. Van Hoose walked the attendees through options for business casual and business professional attire, highlighting the importance of looking the part as they move outside of athletics. Student-athletes serving as models included: Ty Moss, Jonathan Scripnick, Taylor Johnson, Judi Jones, and Rachel Brush.

More than 120 student-athletes then rotated between tables for three networking sessions, putting their new knowledge to use. Husker baseball letterwinner and alumni, Robbie Palkert, returned with Pacific Life to connect with student-athletes and share his perspective on transitioning from college to the business world. "The Athletic Department provided me with so many different opportunities, and now that I have moved on, it is great to be able to come back and provide my own advice to the younger student athletes. Life Skills continually puts on events that are unmatched around the country, which make it very attractive to employers around the state of Nebraska" said Palkert.

Following the final networking session of the evening, student-athletes heard from Molly Brummond, Assistant Dean for External Relations and Strategic Initiatives for UNL College of Law. As her current role includes working with students and alumni on professional and career development, Brummond presented to the Husker student-athletes on tips for building their personal brand and proper reception etiquette.

Nicklin Hames, a volleyball student-athlete, attended with her teammates on Sunday and shared her experience. "It was great to meet professionals from our community and learn how they got into the positions they are in now. As student-athletes, many of us are approaching a time where we will enter the workforce and getting exposure to networking early will be beneficial for our success," commented Hames.

Networking Night finished with a catered reception for both student-athletes and invited professionals, allowing for student-athletes to use all they learned in a more relaxed setting following the presentations.

For questions about Networking Night, please reach out to Assistant Director of Life Skills, Tom Lemke.
 
 
 
 A big thank you to all professional guests for making this event possible:
Rebekah Williams, Aerotek
Charlie Colon, Chick-fil-a
Mic Boettner, Conetic/Arthex
Mattie Fowler & Tierra Williams, Huskers Athletic Fund
Michele Stevenson & Nancy Coleman, FBI Omaha Divison
Erik Andy & Tyson Keller, Fremont Contract Carriers
Lindsey Spehn, Gallup
Greg Houfek, Lilly
Max Hubka, Lincoln Police Department
Bri Cassidy, Masters in Intercollegiate Athletics at UNL
Chris Cameron, Makovicka Physical Therapy
Sean Murphy, Kevin Corwin, & Robbie Palkert, Pacific Life
Molly Brummond, UNL Law
Taylor Barnes & Nate Kruse, Northwestern Mutual
Tyler Fritz, Olsson
Adi Kunalic, Opendorse
Kevin Corwin, Pacific Life
Katherine Ditter & Abbie Epperson, Spreetail
Trevin Nelson & Jasmin Valdez, Target
Tom Allison, UNL Veteran Services
Anna Weigandt, Hudl
Melanie Epperson, Worldwide Express
Will Schulenburg, UNL Explore Center