Bishop varsity athletes make up 36.4% of OWU’s student body, and additional athletes play on club sports teams. Playing a sport at OWU is quite rewarding, but it's also time-consuming. Many athletes on campus miss out on events due to practice, travel, and competitions. Luckily, Career Connection works hard to provide services to athletes in consideration of their busy schedules.
Frankie Nuss ’27 is a sophomore student and will share more about her experience with Career Connection!
Currently, I’m a sophomore student and am holding top positions both in singles and doubles play on OWU’s Varsity Women’s Tennis Team. During my freshman season, I was selected as an NCAC Athlete of the Week twice and also was recognized as an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar Athlete. In addition to tennis, I am the Vice President of Finance for the Campus Programming Board, PR Director for Circle K, and am also an Economics Department Tutor, Career Connection Ambassador, Nancy Bihl Rutkowski Leadership Fellow, and member of Delta Gamma. I am studying Management Economics and Biology as a Woltemade Economics and Business Fellow and a Choose Ohio First STEM Scholar.
As a top varsity tennis athlete and heavily involved student, I have learned several ways to take advantage of Career Connection resources during my season.
One way athletes can utilize Career Connection’s resources in consideration of their busy schedules is scheduling lunch / day-time appointments on Handshake with career coaches, interns, alumni partners, and career connection staff for their specific needs. I have utilized these appointments during my tennis season several times. For example, in the leadup to the Career and Graduate School Fair, I did not think I would have time to update my resume since my tennis schedule dictated my evening time. However, I was actually able to schedule a resume review meeting through Handshake during the school day. As a result, I felt confident and prepared for the fair and made meaningful connections.
Another way athletes can utilize Career Connection’s resources are lunch / day-time drop-in sessions. Career Connection offers drop-in appointments Monday through Thursday from 12-2PM. During my season, I have utilized this drop-in time to add new accomplishments to my resume and print updated copies. Specifically, when I was selected as an NCAC Athlete of the Week, I took advantage of this drop-in opportunity for help from Career Connection staff with adding this accomplishment to my resume. Sometimes I struggle with phrasing my athletic achievements in a manner that employers will understand even if they are not familiar with tennis or college sports. Career Connection has really helped me tackle this challenge.
Additionally, Career Connection hosts many live events throughout the semester during the lunch hour and virtual events during the evening so as not to overlap with Bishop athletics. During my tennis season, I attended several Career and Graduate/Internship fairs, lunch and learn sessions, and networking sessions hosted by career connection both during the day and evening. When I first came to OWU, I was nervous that I would miss out on important opportunities due to my busy tennis schedule, but after witnessing how hard our Career Connection Office works to make events accessible to all students, I no longer worry about missing out on opportunities.
Finally, as a collegiate athlete, it's important to incorporate athletic achievements and experiences into resumes and interview responses. Career Connection can help students prepare relevant examples showing how their athletic experiences led to and demonstrated transferable skills. Students can also utilize Career Connection’s Student Athlete page to help incorporate athletic experiences into their career journeys.
Overall, Career Connection offers many resources and opportunities to Bishop athletes despite their busy schedules. The assistance I have received from Career Connection has prepared me to succeed both on the court and in my career journey, and I plan to continue to take advantage of the resources they provide. Utilizing Career Connection truly helps athletes score their goals in competition and in life.
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