BATON ROUGE, La. – On March 16, LSU student-athletes gathered in the Bo Campbell Auditorium in the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes for ‘The Queue’.
This event is a Shaquille O’Neal Life Skills event that is mandatory for all student-athletes at Louisiana State University.
Brenton Sumler, Manager of the Shaquille O’Neal Life Skills Program, provides the guidance and leadership to this comprehensive career and professional development program. This networking event helped student-athletes by giving tips and suggestions as they venture from a world of classes and athletics, to the professional world.
Dr. Shirley White, Career Strategist of Success Images, believes that equipping student-athletes with the necessary tools for success is critical to their growth and development. At ‘The Queue’, she provided strategies and insights to have a “winning edge” in the career development process from job searching to employee placement.
Specifically, Dr. White shared with the student-athletes the importance of dressing professionally, making eye contact, giving a proper handshake, and interviewing tips. Additionally, Dr. White preached the importance of articulation and pronunciation while networking with future employers.
Collis Temple, former LSU basketball player, spoke to the student-athletes about his transition as a former student-athlete to a professional.
Katie Lindelow, a senior on the LSU volleyball team, said that the two guest speakers were very impactful.
“Dr. White helped us to all realize how much of an impact our appearance makes for a first impression,” Lindelow said. “Collis Temple was great because he showed us ways to use our time as a student-athlete at LSU to help us in the real world.”
As student-athletes, job experience can be difficult due to rigorous schedules, but with events like ‘The Queue’ and the discipline of being a student-athlete, Lindelow believes that these are the opportunities that make her marketable and stand out amongst the rest.
The Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes is a 54,000 square foot facility comprised of academic affairs, student affairs and an information technology teams, serving more than 530 student-athletes. The purpose is to provide an all-inclusive, student-centered support structure for all student-athletes from matriculation, through graduation and life beyond.