River Hawks Participate in Summer Professional Development Programs

LOWELL, Mass. – While on campus over the summer, the UMass Lowell men’s ice hockey team and the men’s and women’s basketball teams participated in a handful of summer professional development programs.
 
“Our student-athletes engaging with different resources and organizations through our summer programming empowers them to take ownership of their experience at UMass Lowell and ultimately uniquely prepares them for life after UMass Lowell in a way that traditional classroom work just can’t do,” said Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Excellence Alison Quandt Westgate.
 

“Our corporate partners continue to be more than partners,” added Senior Associate Athletic Director for Corporate Partnerships & Development Eric Allen. “They are some of our best teammates. They understand that our student-athletes are students first, and continue to go above and beyond to introduce them to potential careers once their playing days are over. We could not be more grateful to all of our corporate partners and all they do for our student-athletes.”
 
Several members of the men’s ice hockey team had the opportunity to take part in the university’s career exploration job shadow seminar class. Through the class, the student-athletes had the opportunity to visit multiple local businesses. One of which was ALKU, a company which provides specialized consulting services in Andover, Mass. There, the River Hawks had the chance to participate in the ALKULUMPICS, which focused on preparing elevator pitches for senior leaders, and spend time on the floor observing.
 
“UMass Lowell has an exceptional athletics department that genuinely cares about the holistic development of their athletes,” commented ALKU College Relationship Specialist Aliesha Grandison. “I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to engage with the UMass Lowell hockey players in our office for the Sell Your Skills and ALKULUMPICS event. My team and I were deeply impressed by the players’ willingness to step out of their comfort zones for the activities we hosted and their unwavering support for one another throughout the day. We are eagerly looking forward to more opportunities for engagement like this through our strong and growing partnership with UML Athletics.”
 
UKG, which provides HR and workforce management solutions, also hosted the student-athletes during the class, giving the River Hawks the opportunity to shadow different employees at UKG and learn about their intern program.
 

“Here at UKG, we are always looking for new and exciting ways to attract and retain early career talent,” added Barb Vlacich, VP of Global Sales Operations & Strategic Programs at UKG. “Hosting 10 UMass Lowell student-athletes for a job shadowing day this summer was the perfect opportunity to expand our partnership with UMass Lowell and allowed us to see first-hand the benefits of a career discernment program. The student-athletes jumped into the experience ready to learn and even tested out their cold calling skills by the end of the day. We were so glad to share the UKG story with this group and help them on their path to landing successful careers.”
 
Ice hockey then concluded its summer professional development with all the student-athletes participating in a panel over Zoom with four former River Hawks, Ryan Collins, Ryan Lohin, Chris Forney, and Connor Wilson. This panel helped educate the current student-athletes about the transition from Lowell into their professional hockey careers and how to move into the business world when hockey ends.
 
“The ALKU and UKG trips were a great experience with even better people showing us around,” said sophomore Jaiden Moriello (Saugus, Mass.) of the men’s ice hockey team. “It was a useful and helpful opportunity to gain knowledge into the real professional world.”
 
For the men’s and women’s basketball teams, their Summer Success Series focused on exposing the River Hawks to services that exist on campus and the wide variety of resources they have available to them.
 
“Our annual Leadership Summer Success Series has profoundly impacted our men’s and women’s basketball teams by integrating vital resources from the UMass Lowell Centers for Learning, Health Center, Student Rights and Responsibilities and the Career Center,” said Director of Student-Athlete Academic Enrichment Betsy Noel. “This collaborative approach has provided our student-athletes with a robust framework for personal and professional growth. By addressing their academic needs, mental and physical health, understanding of their rights and responsibilities, and career aspirations, we have fostered a more well-rounded and resilient group of individuals.”
 
Once a week, the Summer Success Series presented the men’s and women’s basketball teams with a service that the university offers to them. The first week introduced them to the Centers for Learning, Advising, and Student Success (C.L.A.S.S.) followed by the Wellness Center in week two, the Career and Co-Op Center in week three, and Student Rights and Responsibilities in the fourth week, before wrapping up with the Health Forms Workshop in their final week on campus.
 
“Through interactive programming, our students set annual goals, reflected on their strengths and weaknesses, further developed their LinkedIn profiles, learned about self-advocacy for their health care, and developed long term relationships with leaders across campus,” added Noel. “This holistic approach fostered a culture of resilience and empowerment, helping our student-athletes not only enrich their leadership and academic skills, but also cultivate a deeper sense of responsibility and career readiness. This initiative has not only enhanced their leadership fitness for performance on the court, but also prepared them for lifelong success beyond athletics.
 
“I really enjoyed learning about the resources on campus,” said sophomore Maddie Rice (Charlottesville, Va.) of the women’s basketball team. “A lot of the speakers gave us a lot of good advice and helped us know where to go for specific problems.”