Student-Athlete Development concludes fall with strong slate of programs
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. 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.
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 about the event, check out the release: Student-Athlete Development Hosts Mock Interviews Event.
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.
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."
Josh Lively | Athletics-Sports Information
