INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. --- Moravian College senior men's soccer student-athlete Jorge Aguilar participated in the virtual 2021 NCAA Division III Student Immersion Program during the NCAA virtual convention from January 13-15.
"I felt truly blessed and grateful to have been selected to take part in such a career impacting and life changing experience," stated Aguilar. "I felt lucky to take part in what I saw as a once in a lifetime experience due to this event really giving student-athletes the necessary tools and professional platform to grow both in their professional careers moving forward but also on a personal level as young adults and the future of college athletics."
The 2021 NCAA Convention was originally scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C. before being switched to a virtual event due to the pandemic.
"Being virtual was a very different experience and throughout the event the coordinators really emphasized the use of technology and social media (Twitter, GroupMe, LinkedIn) to our advantage to connect with one another and stay in touch even after the event to preserve these new created relationships/connections," Aguilar said. "The event coordinators really drew emphasis and importance on the use of LinkedIn as a resourceful tool to create and preserve those professional connections that could eventually lead to professional opportunities. They also offered a convention platform in order to be able to attend live virtual events that ranged from guest speakers to award ceremonies where we could learn about members within the NCAA and grow our network. The great use of the virtual space made the whole experience as comfortable as it could be for all the student-athlete participants."
Over the course of the three-day event, the student-athletes participating in the immersion program had 15 required sessions to attend online and there were three other voluntary events they could attend on January 12.
"Throughout the program we were given access to a multitude of events that ranged in topics which made the experience more well-rounded and enjoyable," Aguilar explained. "This was important because although the program revolved around college athletics, we were offered the opportunity to attend other events that talk about different aspects that were completely independent from athletics but that we could in a way apply to our professional careers moving forward within college athletics and even on a personal level. Some of the programs that were offered were a DISC workshop, networking sessions, professional development sessions, keynote sessions, interaction with previous participants, and many other forums. Being completely honest, I loved the whole event, it is hard to pick a specific portion of the event that I enjoyed the most. There was always something new and positive that I learned and took away from each of the events that took place during this experience, that will ultimately help me in the development of my professional career as well as personal life. I hope to bring everything that I learned from this experience back to Moravian to share with other students and faculty."
The NCAA began the Student Immersion program in 2015 after a recommendation from the Division III Diversity and Inclusion Working Group. Since then, a group of 40 ethnic minority students have attended the NCAA Convention with the NCAA fully funding the attendees. The program aims to select ethnic minority students, preferably juniors and seniors, with a strong interest in a career in NCAA Division III athletics, either coaching and/or administration.
"The most memorable experience had to be meeting the other student-athletes from all over the nation that took part in this experience," commented Aguilar. "It was amazing to experience how although we all came from different backgrounds and colleges, we all came together to form a tightly knit bond with one another in the short amount of time we spent together and not to mention virtually. Aside from leaving with 40+ new professional connections, leaving with 40+ new friendships created with other student athletes that share similar passions to my own, will be the most memorable experience from this program."
While it was a long and busy three days, Aguilar thoroughly enjoyed being part of the program in 2021.
"Some of the key takeaways from this experience are definitely networking and working on creating our professional brand," Aguilar stated. "During our networking session, they mentioned the most important we have to remember when networking is that we are trying to build and create these professional/business relationships that will hopefully lead to professional opportunities that will lead me to where I want to be in my professional working career. I definitely want to adopt this mentality when it comes to networking where I am not trying to create connections in hopes that it will result in a job but instead trying to create these connections that will open new doors and create opportunities that will help me towards reaching that position that I am striving for in my professional working career.
"Working on establishing our professional brand was another major takeaway that works alongside networking," he continued. "It was important to understand a professional brand and how you present yourself publicly through social media, post, and public presence is a deciding factor that can enhance or diminish our professional brand that can impact future professional opportunities.
"Lastly, the attention to the small details and work ethic was huge. Throughout the event I learned a lot about getting your hands dirty and doing the dirty work in order to get to where you want to be, the work ethic has to be there to reach that point in your career that one is striving for. I learned about working towards adopting the mindset and work ethic where everything we do; we have to make sure that it is done at the highest level possible. We have to go above and beyond in everything we do. We should not settle with doing the bare minimum but instead try to be the best in the world at what we are doing because people are always watching and will take notice of this," Aguilar finished.
