Aberdeen, S.D.- Northern State University football student-athlete Blake Clay kicked off his summer at the 2024 NCAA Career in Sports Forum last week. Clay and 185 other student-athletes from across all three NCAA divisions, gained valuable experience from professionals within the field. The forum's sessions broadened participants' understanding of the diverse roles available in the sports sector, helping them to envision their futures more clearly. Learners participated in industry-specific breakouts, including coaching, internal relations, external athletics and professional sports.
 
"Going into the forum, I'm not sure what I expected," noted Clay. "I was just extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity. I knew we were going to have speakers and I was going to be surrounded by people similar to me, but I was just excited about the uncertainty."
 
Those speakers ranged from NCAA President, Charlie Baker, to Ole Miss Head Women's Basketball Coach, Yolett McPhee-McCuin, Director of Marketing for the Indiana Fever, Shayna Sangster, President of the Denver Broncos, Damani Leech, Toronto Raptors Manager of Basketball Advancement, Dr. Lacee Carmon-Johnson, and Strategy Operations Analyst at Nike, Andres Quevedo to name a few.
 
With a "Survival Guide" theme, the 4-day event aimed to help attendees successfully navigate their career journeys. This included providing them with invaluable opportunities to network with peers and decision-makers at various levels of college athletics, including campus, conference and national levels. The program educates participants on the intersection of personal strengths and career opportunities, provides tangible experiences to propel their aspirations in sports careers, explores professional and career development strategies and offer insights into careers available in sports.
 
Clay added, "The biggest takeaway I had from this forum is that it's not who you know, but who knows you, and what are they going to say about you in rooms you're not in. After attending this forum, it was really apparent that all of these people in the sports world started as an intern, worked their way up, built connections, and used those connections to benefit themselves."
 
A Sports Marketing and Administration major with a minor in Sports Media and Communications, Clay will enter his junior season with the Wolves. In addition to his football career, Clay is involved with Northern State Sportscasting on YouTube, is a peer mentor for the NSU Circle Program, does play-by-play for home athletic events, and is the creator of the Behind the Pack podcast on Spotify.
 
"Not only was it beneficial to hear from the business professionals and speakers and make connections with them, but all 185 other student athletes that I was there with. I gained over 100 new LinkedIn connections and built so many friendships over the span of 4 days. It was extremely beneficial to attend this, building SO many relationships that I will have for the future."