MIAMI (June 16, 2017) –  It is the mission of FIU's student-athlete development office to prepare its student-athletes for life after college through the Panther GOLD (Grab opportunities, Optimize your experience, Lead your team, Determine your future) program.
 
Spearheaded by FIU Assistant AD for Student-Athlete Development and Community Relations Liz Augustin, Panther GOLD holds a number of seminars each year to assist FIU's student-athletes in their professional development.
 
On Jan. 31, a presentation titled "How to Land Your Dream Job" was held for FIU juniors and seniors at FIU College of Business. Kaleb Thornhill, director of player engagement for the Miami Dolphins, demonstrated his step-by-step model utilizing LinkedIn to build relationships with individuals that will transform their lives. Thornhill taught each FIU student-athlete how to nurture their internal network before their eligibility expires, and how to attack their journey with passion, energy, and enthusiasm on their quest to land their dream job.
 
"I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the program," former FIU women's soccer standout and recent graduate Alyssa Robinson said. "I think that he (Thornhill) was a great speaker and had a lot of valuable information."
 
Panther GOLD also held a student-athlete networking seminar back in February as part of the University's Panther Alumni Week (PAW). This event gave student-athletes (both juniors and seniors) an opportunity to work on their professional networking skills. A number of FIU alumni were on hand to assist with the seminar, including Alex Shaw ('02 – Track and Field/Cross Country), Mary Shaw ('02 – Cross Country), Cody Pellicer  ('10 – Football), Yaneash Donaldson ('06 – Women's Soccer), Aston Wilson ('05 – Football), Elliot Mason ('02 – Track and Field), Paul Lungren ('13 – Football), Magali Holt ('13 – Tennis), Maria Vallasciani ('14 – Tennis), Ira Turner ('05 – Football), Maria Spenceley ('12 – Tennis), Brad Serini ('11 – Football), Shaun Dudney ('06 – Football), and James Knapp ('05 – Football/Baseball).
 
The evening began with a 20-minute presentation on the dos and don'ts of networking. Each student-athlete was given three personalized business cards and were then given 30 minutes to hand out their business cards to the alumni in attendance. After critiquing the networking abilities of the current student-athletes, pointing out things they did well, Duane Wiles, FIU associate vice president, alumni relation and annual giving, spoke to both the current and former student-athletes about the resources available to them through the FIU Alumni Association. The night concluded with the FIU alumni sharing career advice.
 
"Seeing all the student-athletes sitting there just brought me back to my first day at FIU," Vallasciani said. "It made me value, despite all the ups and downs, the effort and sacrifices I made as a student-athlete to get to where I am today. I truly believe that nobody should set limits for themselves, and that the only way to improve is to be willing to step out of your comfort zone. At the end of the day, dreams are just dreams until you set up a deadline and you start working towards them."
 
A seminar held for FIU sophomores is a dining-etiquette event, which Panther GOLD held this year on March 31 in the lobby of the FIU Arena. The seminar consisted of a presentation covering professional-dining etiquette followed by a three-course dinner. Student-athletes sat at tables with FIU administrators to practice their skills and to network.
 
Administrators that took part in the evening included Tony Delgado, ombudsman and assistant dean of students; Betty Newborn, coordinator, student programs with the Alumni Association; Sonia Khatkhate, coordinator administrative services with Student Affairs; Stephen Loynaz, access consult manager with the Disability Resource Center; Eran Abel, talent acquisition and management; Kristen Kawczynski, director with Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, James Knapp; executive director, alumni career development with the Office of Engagement; and Maria Tomaino, associate director, alumni career development with the Alumni Association.
 
On April 4, FIU junior and senior student-athletes took part in a speed interviewing seminar. The session consisted of a dos-and-don'ts presentation on interviewing followed by three 10-minute rounds of interviewing with HR recruiters from local organizations. It marked the second-straight year in which an FIU student-athlete was hired as a result of the event. Shawn Abrams received a job offer from Enterprise
 
In addition to Enterprise Holdings, the other organizations at the seminar included Brightline, FIU Police, Miami-Dade Police Department, Miami-Dade Public Schools, Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation, Miami Dolphins, NBC Universal and Target.
 
Along with the individual seminars, Panther GOLD also has a year-long Senior Transition Program. The program is offered to graduating student-athletes. If they complete the following requirements, they get $200 towards a brand-new suit they can use for job interviews.
The requirements include:

•           Resume submission
•           Create a LinkedIn profile and connect with the assistant AD for athletic development and community service
•           Complete two financial literacy modules offered by USA Funds Life Skills
•           Complete four career development workshops 

 
This year, 20 student-athletes successfully completed the program. The ladies selected their suits from Ann Taylor Outlet and the men selected their suits from Men's Designers Outlet. 
 
Throughout the year, FIU's student-athlete development office works diligently to continually assist its student-athletes for life after college. Panther GOLD will continue to provide quality programs and services that facilitate graduation and promote the overall development of student-athletes.
  
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in eight different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Riccardo Silva Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is classified by Carnegie as a "R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest Research Activity" and recognized as a Carnegie Community Engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as business, engineering, computer science, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes almost $9 billion each year to the local economy and is ranked second in Florida in Forbes Magazine's "America's Best Employers" list. FIU graduates are consistently among the highest paid college graduates in Florida and are among the leaders of public and private organizations throughout South Florida. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission with multiple state-of-the-art research facilities including the Wall of Wind Research and Testing Facility, FIU's Medina Aquarius Program and the Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute.  FIU has awarded more than 220,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, the Miami Beach Urban Studios, and Tianjin, China. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and more than 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.