Student-Athlete Development Concludes Fall Schedule

STARKVILLE – With a continued commitment to the holistic growth of all Mississippi State student-athletes, the Student-Athlete Development office finished the fall semester with a strong slate of programs during the month of October.

"Our fall programming exceeded expectations," said Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Development Briana Vaughn. "This semester, we had a couple of hurdles to jump as we moved everything virtual. Hosting all SAAC meetings, programs and major events online forced us to adapt and become flexible with our presentation style. Being able to continue to pour into our student-athletes and aid in their personal, professional and leadership development was the priority. Webex has become our best friend, and we have found ways to maneuver and facilitate our programs in an engaging way. We focused on providing relatable, engaging, critically thinking and immediately applicable content in our programs and on social media for our student-athletes throughout this semester. With COVID-19 changing the scope of Student-Athlete Development, I am proud to say our student-athletes have not been deprived of the opportunity to holistically develop for their life after sport."

Along with SAAC meetings and different forums, the office hosted three Life After Sport Initiatives programs for student-athletes to attend last month. Overall for the fall semester, the department held six events.

"As a whole, I believe that all of the October programs and events went well," said Fellow of Student-Athlete Development Ashley Jocelyn. "Our office did a good job of providing opportunities to our student-athletes while adjusting to our current time of facilitating the virtual world. Our student-athletes were all engaging, adaptable and trusted in the process.

"Our October programs also gave us an awesome opportunity to partner with campus constituents and other organizations. For Personal Finance, we partnered with Regions Bank and Eric Smith. For Athletic Identity, Dr. Aaron Goodson aided in facilitating valuable information to our second-year student-athletes. Lastly, the MSU Career Center helped us spearhead our virtual Mock Interviews."

ATHLETIC IDENTITY
Athletic Identity is the degree to which a person identifies with the role of an athlete and looks to others for acknowledgement of that role. Dr. Aaron Goodson from the Sports Counseling and Sports Psychology department held conversations with second-year student-athletes about the topic and the importance of understanding what it means for a student-athlete once his or her playing days come to an end.

The event started with student-athletes filling out a survey to determine their Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, which goes from 10 to 70. If you put 70, that means you eat, breathe and sleep sports, while 10 means you don't care about sports at all. Most student-athletes likely identify towards the higher range, but the goal of this event was to try and get them towards the middle.

The goal is for student-athletes to work hard at building both their athletic identity and career maturity.

What was said…
"Athletic Identity is an important program for our student-athletes to participate in because it shapes their life after sport."

"Athletic Identity is a topic that is rarely discussed, but invaluable to the holistic development of all student-athletes. Being able to identify, discuss, and explore the different identities all student-athletes have allowed us to engage in more vulnerable and candid conversations throughout the program."

"While I have thought about my identity in sports, I have never had a conversation like this before. I really enjoyed thinking about how much of my identity I place into my sport so that I can do better and remind myself that I am more than an athlete."

"I realized sport is not the important aspect of my life."

"This was a great reminder that golf is not my only identity."

MOCK INTERVIEWS
Student-athletes earned valuable one-on-one interview experience with professionals from across the southeast during the virtual Mock Interviews. For more details on the event, check out the release Student-Athlete Development Hosts Mock Interviews Event.

What was said…
"It was extremely important for us to be able to continue this event because of its success last year. I believe this is arguably the most important aspect of our student-athletes' professional development. We were grateful to all the companies and representatives that showed the initiative to aid in our student-athletes' professional development and interview skills."

"I liked that we got feedback. The positive feedback was reassuring while critical feedback pointed out things I could work on."

"I enjoyed interacting with the students and hearing how each student's goals and visions were different and how that affected their responses and interview experience."

"Getting to speak to strangers was really helpful. Practice makes perfect and practice increases confidence, so I definitely feel more confident talking to strangers"

PERSONAL FINANCE
With the goal of enhancing the knowledge of personal financing, the event was separated into two sessions. Financial Literacy Coach Eric Smith engaged in conversations with both first- and fourth-year student-athletes on matters pertaining to financial literacy and money management. In the other session, second- and third-year student-athletes met with representatives from Regions Bank to discuss day-to-day financial fundamentals designed to help Bulldogs prepare for their future.

What was said…
"We took a different approach to Personal Finance this year by allowing all student-athletes the opportunity to have separate segments of Personal Finance. I thought this was beneficial to our student-athletes because each session was catered to where they are financially. One of the programs conducted this year that I found interesting was Reality Check (hosted by Regions Bank). This session walked the athletes through real-life scenarios that they will potentially go through when they are transitioning out of their sport."

"Eric Smith facilitated the program for first and fourth years. He remarkably found ways to keep the student-athletes engaged while allowing them to truly share how they felt about budgets, interest rates, and what they choose to spend their money on. The student-athletes gained skills that are and will always be relevant to their personal and professional lives."

"Compound interest. 401k. These were some things that I didn't know about before, but I understand it a lot better now."

"Eric Smith did very well. I've had to take courses like this for years, and he did the best at explaining everything."

"I liked learning about stuff that may pop up in my bank statements and things I should look out for."

"It was fun and educational at the same time. It was easy to understand."

In September 2019, Mississippi State rebranded its Life Skills department to Student-Athlete Development. MSU believes in the philosophy that an athletic department's priority is to enhance the student-athlete experience and that success, academically, athletically and personally, is a byproduct. Through the use of interactive workshops and experiential learning opportunities, Mississippi State will strive to provide student-athletes with experiences that will prepare them for success as they transition into college, continue through their collegiate careers, and embark on their professional careers.

For the most up-to-date information, follow MSU Student-Athlete Development on Twitter by searching for "HailStateSADev."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Student-Athlete Development Concludes Fall Schedule

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