Photo by: Northwestern Athletics
NU For Life Program Hosts the 10th Annual First-Year Foundations Event
2/15/2024 1:12:00 PM | General, David G. Kabiller NU for Life Program
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern Athletics and its Kabiller NU for Life Program hosted the 10th annual First-Year Foundations event to welcome and introduce the youngest Wildcats to an array of career and professional development support and resources available to them as student-athletes.
"This is the first introduction to the Kabiller NU for Life Program and an important step to empower our first-year 'Cats on their professional development journey," said Marcus Geralds, Assistant Director of the NU for Life program.
The NU for Life Advisory Group, which is led by upper-class student-athletes, planned and facilitated the first-year program in January. This event provides a bird's-eye-view of the Kabiller NU for Life program's life-changing and career-enhancing support system and resources.
At the event, first-year student-athletes engaged in interactive professional development rotational sessions on networking, major/career exploration, and providing professional headshots. The evening culminated in a roundtable discussion, where the first-years obtained valuable insights from upper-class peers regarding the array of resources NU for Life provides, including mentorship, personalized career consulting, access to the professional and alumni network, internships, and job opportunities.
"The event was a great way to initiate my professional development journey," said Erin Boler, a first-year student-athlete on the cross country team. "A night full of learning from and connecting with the NU for Life staff and older student-athletes eased my nerves and got me excited for the journey ahead. I would suggest that an NU student-athlete connect with Kate Smith or Marcus Geralds in their first year because they have so much valuable information to offer and truly want to help and guide you. They don't expect you to have your plans fully defined as soon as you step foot on campus, instead, their goal is that by the time you step foot off campus, you are pursuing a career you truly love."
"It was a pleasure watching the Student Advisory and Executive Board show intentionality while planning and facilitating the entire program, especially the roundtable discussion," said Geralds. "The importance of building a community for student-athletes will be valuable in their holistic development."
"My experience was incredibly rewarding and informative," said Will Halkyard, an Executive Board Member and senior on the football team. "Running an event, especially of this size, takes a lot of time and effort, but it was so fulfilling to be able to see the first-years grow as much as they did in a matter of hours. I loved pouring into the next generation of NU student-athletes, and I hope to have a lasting impact on their time here even after I'm gone. This program has grown tremendously since my freshman year, which was only 4 years ago. NU For Life has taken input from students and implemented it to make the experience even better, every single year. I truly believe it is extremely beneficial for every first-year student-athlete to attend the event."
"This is the first introduction to the Kabiller NU for Life Program and an important step to empower our first-year 'Cats on their professional development journey," said Marcus Geralds, Assistant Director of the NU for Life program.
The NU for Life Advisory Group, which is led by upper-class student-athletes, planned and facilitated the first-year program in January. This event provides a bird's-eye-view of the Kabiller NU for Life program's life-changing and career-enhancing support system and resources.
At the event, first-year student-athletes engaged in interactive professional development rotational sessions on networking, major/career exploration, and providing professional headshots. The evening culminated in a roundtable discussion, where the first-years obtained valuable insights from upper-class peers regarding the array of resources NU for Life provides, including mentorship, personalized career consulting, access to the professional and alumni network, internships, and job opportunities.
"The event was a great way to initiate my professional development journey," said Erin Boler, a first-year student-athlete on the cross country team. "A night full of learning from and connecting with the NU for Life staff and older student-athletes eased my nerves and got me excited for the journey ahead. I would suggest that an NU student-athlete connect with Kate Smith or Marcus Geralds in their first year because they have so much valuable information to offer and truly want to help and guide you. They don't expect you to have your plans fully defined as soon as you step foot on campus, instead, their goal is that by the time you step foot off campus, you are pursuing a career you truly love."
"It was a pleasure watching the Student Advisory and Executive Board show intentionality while planning and facilitating the entire program, especially the roundtable discussion," said Geralds. "The importance of building a community for student-athletes will be valuable in their holistic development."
"My experience was incredibly rewarding and informative," said Will Halkyard, an Executive Board Member and senior on the football team. "Running an event, especially of this size, takes a lot of time and effort, but it was so fulfilling to be able to see the first-years grow as much as they did in a matter of hours. I loved pouring into the next generation of NU student-athletes, and I hope to have a lasting impact on their time here even after I'm gone. This program has grown tremendously since my freshman year, which was only 4 years ago. NU For Life has taken input from students and implemented it to make the experience even better, every single year. I truly believe it is extremely beneficial for every first-year student-athlete to attend the event."
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country & Track
LS
/ FootballNorthwestern | Class of 2020
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