Hokie ClubVirginia Tech Student-Athlete Development held its annual Beyond VT event on Monday, April 1 inside Lane Stadium, allowing Hokie student-athletes an opportunity to celebrate, reflect and network with former student-athletes and professionals as they begin to prepare for life after Virginia Tech and after athletics.
This year, the student-athlete attendees at Beyond VT heard from a group of alumni during a panel Q&A session, participated in "speed networking" with alumni and professionals, and visited resource stations hosted by various campus and community members, who shared tips and tricks on how to leverage and market student-athlete skills and experiences.
"Virginia Tech's there for you when you're [an athlete], but they're really there for you once your playing days are over," football student-athlete Griffin Duggan said following the event. "There are so many people here to help you. You can't play that sport forever and they really want you to make sure you're going to be fully ready to step into that business world once your playing days are done."
"Having resources like this is special and I think it makes Virginia Tech Athletics different from everybody else," women's soccer's Allie George said. "I think it's really cool to be able to talk to people that were in our shoes before and people that have been through these experiences.
"I think getting their advice and kind of their perspective on things that I'm going through right now is really beneficial as I take my next steps for the future."
After participating in the panel and networking discussions, the student-athletes had the chance to learn about a variety of resources, including topics like elevator pitches, professional dress, writing a resume and LinkedIn best practices, and opportunities to get professional headshots.
The event caps off a year of Student-Athlete Development events that included annual programs such as Beyond VT, Career Jumpstart, and THRIVE Rookie Training Camp, while it also featured new events, such as the Elevate Her women's leadership event and a variety of diversity, equity, and inclusion education in partnership with SAAC and the Athletics Diversity & Inclusion Council.
"There's an investment in the well-being of our athletes beyond their time here," former men's basketball student-athlete and event panelist Greg Donlon said. "I think it's pretty special to be able to leave a place like this. It's not an easy transition.
"I don't think that there's a whole lot that any individual student can do to prepare themselves for it, so having events like this where people that have lived it and done it and are now on that next step of life can come back and kind of share their wisdom on it all. I think that's incredibly valuable."
The event kicked off with the panel sharing some opening remarks to the entirety of the group. Following the conclusion of the discussion, the student-athletes dispersed into breakout groups with at least one former student-athlete/professional still there to lead the way.
It was an exciting night for current and former Hokie student-athletes to make connections with each other and learn from their experiences. Most student-athletes were able to garner plenty of takeaways, but there's a specific one that was mentioned the most.
"I think that you're not always going to know what your next step is and that's completely ok," George said. "You have so many aspects that are going to set you up for your future and just continuing to do the things that you're good at is what's going to drive you to success."