MSU’s annual networking night helps prepare student-athletes for next chapter of their lives

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – It was a chance to prepare for life after sports for college athletes at Mississippi State University.

On Monday, the Student-Athlete Development Office hosted it’s annual Networking Night.

The event gives student-athletes a chance to meet and interact with a host of employers in a variety of career fields.

Students dropped off business cards and resumes to potential employers.

Dozens of student-athletes and businesses came out to be a part of this year’s event.

The program is a part of MSU’s Life After Sports Initiative (LASI), something that was put in place to help students become successful after their playing days are over.

“Just to be able to create those networks because there are so many people here tonight, different opportunities became available just by being able to talk to different people and work out what I want to do in the future,” said Chloe Bibby, junior forward on MSU’s women’s basketball team.

“It was like an enlightenment, because a lot of the people that I talked to, it was like experiences that I honestly went through before,” said Dejon Devroe, senior on MSU’s track and field team. “Knowing that there are businesses and jobs out there that relate to my past experiences, and they’re out there helping people that are like me in the same place, was very beneficial.”

“It’s our job to let them know, hey you can do athletics at a really high level, and you can do academics at a really high level, and let’s add a third component in there which is to prepare for life after sports, you can do that at a high-level,” said Ben Rodriguez, Assistant Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Development. “Is it hard? No doubt it’s hard. Is it possible? It certainly is possible, so again we just want to really instill that from the first time that they step on campus.”

The four components featured in LASI include personal development, professional development, leadership development, and community engagement.

Rodriguez said the initiative has been in place since September 2019.