Departing Seniors Attend Life After Sport Seminar

Lincoln, NE – Student-athletes exhausting their eligibility virtually attended the Life After Sport Seminar on Monday, April 19. The purpose of the seminar is to provide attendees some additional insight on how to adjust their lifestyle as they transition away from collegiate athletics. A panel of six speakers shared some advice on how to make the transition as smooth as possible and provided some insight on what they might run into once they leave Nebraska Athletics.
 
Husker Hall of Famer and football alum, Jay Foreman, kicked off the panel. He spoke with the group about his experience once he stopped competing and provided tips on how to adjust to their future careers.
 
"Never forget the hard work and the sacrifice you guys have done since high school to get to where you are now and use that type of mindset when you're out there in the business world," explained Foreman.
 
Foreman was followed by Mattie Fowler-Burkhardt, Senior Director of Development Operations for Athletics and Husker softball alum. She shared with the group how they can stay connected and continue to be positive ambassadors for Husker Athletic as they move forward. Fowler-Burkhardt discussed how former student-athletes are key for future Husker athletes and their success but explained that it is alright for them to settle into life before coming back to pay it forward.
 
Lisa Kopecky, Assistant Director of Performance Nutrition at Nebraska, then shared several key points for maintaining physical well-being through proper nutrition and physical activity once leaving Nebraska Athletics. Student-athletes in attendance were given various tips and tricks for navigating the grocery store and learning to adjust their intake to activity levels.
 
Following Kopecky was Nebraska Athletic Counselor, Nedu Izuegbunam, LPC, ADS. He discussed a few crucial takeaways that will help former student-athlete maintain an overall positive well-being once they are done with their collegiate careers.
 
"I just want to encourage everybody to continue just learning more about yourself outside of sport. It can be somewhat nerve-racking but so exciting at the same time," encouraged Izuegbunam.

The panel continued with Robbie Palkert, Husker baseball alum who currently works at Pacific Life, who spoke with the group about managing finances once student-athletes start earning a consistent income. He emphasized that the attendees should know how much they are actually making, how much they need to spend, and the importance of tracking all of the information to make their financial situation easier to understand.
 
Finally, Jake Gibbons, Texas A&M swim and dive alum, discussed career development for student-athletes and how they can use their resources to figure out what career path they want to pursue once their athletic career ends. Gibbons highlighted that the skills that student-athletes have built in their sport are transferrable as they enter the workforce.

For questions about the Life After Sport Seminar, please contact Assistant Director of Life Skills, Tom Lemke.