Courtney Randall recalled a discussion he had with a freshman student-athlete during a class he was teaching.

"We were talking about how Kobe Bryant played for 20 years," recalled Randall, Coordinator, Career and Leadership Development at the Washington State University Athletic Department about the past NBA star. "He's now 40 years old. What does he do for the rest of his life?

"We can cross our fingers and hope our student-athletes have careers like Kobe," Randall added. "But most of them won't play for 20 years. It's taking the time for introspection and understanding what assets I have after I graduate."

It's building these assets that is the aim of Randall and the staff at the Student-Athlete Development & Wellbeing Department within Washington State Athletics.

To assist in the building process, the department has put together numerous events throughout the academic year, including several this fall.

During a Monday evening in September at the Professional Development Kickoff, senior student-athletes gained insight from someone who was once in their shoes, past baseball player Jay Miller, who talked about the job search process. Afterward, they learned about all the post-graduate resources available to them, including having a professional photo taken.



Then in October, student-athletes enjoyed a dinner while learning proper table etiquette, interviewing skills, and networking with professionals in the Pullman area.

And in November, student-athletes received insight about financial wellbeing, the home-buying process and navigating the job search process during an event titled "Locker Rooms to Conference Rooms."

"Everything we do here is directed to enhance the student-athlete experience and prepare them for life after sports, from the day they step foot on campus to when they graduate." said Jerry Pastore, Associate Director of Athletics, Student-Athlete Development & Wellbeing.

Pastore says they aim to make it a full-year experience and the department has put together events to achieve this goal, beginning with the Week of Engagement at the onset of the school year in August all the way through the "Passports to Careers" events that take place in the spring.

"We're constantly revamping, assessing our programming so we can continue to get better and we're listening to the feedback from our student-athletes and what they feel like is most useful to them," Pastore said.

One feature of the events that has been extremely valuable is bringing back former student-athletes.

"We've had tremendous connections with former student-athletes who have reached out to us to be involved," Pastore said. "Former student-athletes have that unique experience that is relatable to student-athletes who are here right now."

In addition to Miller speaking at the Professional Development Kickoff event, other past student-athletes who have spoken at events during the past year include past football standouts Jed Collins, Ryan Leaf, Collin Henderson, and tennis star Erica Perkins, just to name a few.

Collins, Relationship Manager with Brighton Jones Wealth Management and graduate of the Carson College of Business, has returned to campus numerous times discussing the importance of planning personal finances.

"As my education and knowledge grew my passion to understand how few people knew these things, how few people knew this foreign language of finance," Collins said. "my passion became, 'How can I help?'

"The other passion project I have is Washington State University I love the school and want to come back and give back to the university," said Collins. "If there is some knowledge and wisdom I can share, these are some of the things I've discovered."



And as bringing back former student-athletes have brought value so have bringing in professionals, such as for the recent "Locker Rooms to Conference Rooms" event.

Student-athletes learned about financial wellbeing from Dr. David Whidbee from the WSU Carson College of Business, the home-buying process from Melanie Lange, real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Tomlinson, and navigating the job search process with  Shannon Flynn, HR Director at Fluke Corporation.

"People have been wonderful," said Pastore. "They are looking to be engaged with our student-athletes."

One of the individuals who has been engaged with the student-athletes is Lange, a member of the Cougar Athletic Fund who, in addition to participating in the "Locker Rooms to Conference Rooms" event also attended the Etiquette Dinner.

"These events are important in shaping the lives of the student-athletes as they move forward into their adult lives," said Lange. "I wish I would have had this information when I was a student and going out to make decisions armed with this information.

"I'm honored every time I get asked to speak to these students," Lange continued. "They are an exceptional bunch of people. It's fun to see them in their particular sport and off the field in this setting, too. They are amazing students and I feel fortunate to give back in this way."

Just as the coaches are developing student-athletes to excel on the field of play, the staff at the Student-Athlete Development & Wellbeing Department are working to develop student-athletes' assets to achieve success off the field.

"Every opportunity that we get we are thinking about the specific needs that our student-athletes have and trying to provide some career programming that meets those needs." Randall said.