The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Student-Athletes Participate in Training Program
8/2/2017 | Student-Athlete Development
OXFORD, MISS. - This summer, several Ole Miss student-athletes got the chance to earn real world experience by participating in the Ole Miss Athletics "Training Program", which paired student- athletes with local businesses in their desired fields to gain invaluable hands-on experience.
The Ole Miss Athletics Training Program was designed to operate concurrently with the University of Mississippi summer school course schedule. Each student-athlete selected for the program met outlined eligibility requirements to be considered for the training program and were required to spend 20 hours a week at their training site. Additionally, participants attended a weekly professional development meeting and were required to complete a presentation on their experience.
The goals of The Training Program are to provide opportunities for student-athletes to engage in high impact practices and professional development opportunities while enrolled at the University of Mississippi and also to foster positive working relationships with local companies in the Lafayette, Oxford and University communities. At the end of the program student-athletes had a better understanding of customs and practices in the professional environment, participated as a team in a professional environment, applied knowledge obtained while in the professional environment to a task and acquired on-site training that can be applied to future potential employment.
"It has been rewarding to see how our student-athletes have grown from this experiential learning opportunity," said Jennifer Saxon, assistant athletics director for student-athlete development. "Following their presentations, it was clear that they each have a better understanding of what is expected of professionals in their respective career fields. We believe that this is just the start of additional opportunities for our department and the ultimate success of our student-athletes post-graduation."
Student-athletes participating in the program included: Javon Patterson (Football) - Data Analytics at Promatura Group LLC, Alex Schneider (Softball) - Marketing Department at Chick-fil-A, Caroline Adams (Volleyball) - Speech-Learning Pathology Department at Baptist Memorial Hospital, Jack Raborn (Football) - Economic Development Foundation/Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce, Mercedes Mattix (Track and Field) - Nursing Department at North Mississippi Regional Center and Brady Feigl (Baseball) - Oxford-University Bank.
The student-athletes and their employers both gained valuable lessons and experiences throughout the program. Adams, a communications sciences and disorders major, had a great experience during her time at the Speech-Learning Pathology Department at Baptist Memorial Hospital.
"I was able to learn so much about Speech-Language Pathology and what a career as a speech-language pathologist looks like throughout the summer training program," said Adams. "Working in an outpatient hospital setting, I got to observe therapy on a wide variety of individuals and was able to determine my specific area of interest. I am so thankful for Life Skills and Baptist Memorial Hospital as they provided me with such a valuable learning experience as an undergraduate!"
The student-athletes weren't the only ones who saw the program as beneficial. Shelley Williams, vice president of communications & general counsel of the Promatura Group LLC, thought the program was equally rewarding from the employer standpoint.
"ProMatura was extremely fortunate to have been selected to be part of the Ole Miss Athletics Training Program," said Williams. "The company benefited greatly from having a high-caliber student athlete like Javon Patterson join our Market Feasibility team. We're hopeful that we can continue our relationship with the athletic department next summer as well."
Patterson, who spent his time working with Williams at Promatura Group LLC, found the challenge of the training program rewarding.
"The month of July was interesting not knowing what you're getting into," said Patterson. "But as I dove into the work with expertise, things began to clear up and I began to have some fun. The Training Program is a great opportunity to further your experience in a field you're interested in. I really enjoyed data analytics and want to pursue it after athletics."
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Ole Miss Student-Athlete Development Mission
The mission of Ole Miss' Student-Athlete Development program is to challenge student-athletes to be lifelong learners while pursuing continuous improvement academically, relationally, socially, personally, and professionally during and beyond their careers as student-athletes.
