AUBURN, Ala. – Packing a summer's worth of networking opportunities into three productive days, seven Auburn student-athletes expanded their career horizons in interviews, job shadowing and Atlanta corporate site visits during AuburnYOU's inaugural career tour.
Football's Wesley Steiner, men's basketball's Dylan Cardwell, gymnasts Cassie Stevens and Morgan Leigh Oldham, track and field's Allison Tanner and David Edmondson, and swimming and diving's Conner Pruitt toured Brasfield & Gorrie, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Truist Wealth, Truist Park and Chick-fil-A June 14-16.
"To get to connect and network with Auburn people," said Cardwell of his motivation for applying for the tour. "I wanted to showcase who I am as a person and who I am outside of basketball. It was impressive to see that many people from Auburn having really successful career paths. I'm so thankful to Michelle Keesee and AuburnYOU for the opportunity."
AuburnYOU's Michelle Keesee, Janice Robinson and Meagan Hooshyar planned and executed the tour, tapping into their network of Auburn University graduates and former student-athletes, including Chick-fil-A's new restaurant growth director Tyrone Dillard and Barrett Tindall, an assistant project manager at Brasfield & Gorrie general contractors, who spoke to the seven Tigers about transitioning to post-sport careers.
"It was really cool to have people give us their input and advice based on our special circumstances," said Stevens, the SEC Gymnastics Scholar-Athlete of the Year. "The biggest emphasis from the whole tour was the importance of relationships and networking.
"It was cool to see the businesses from within and how important the people are who work there and the culture of the company. They're passionate about what they do. That was eye opening to me."
Steiner, about to embark on his fourth Auburn football season, observed that leading organizations hire people of integrity who fit the company's culture and focus on customer service.
"In most cases, customer or client-driven organizations are likely to be very successful," Steiner said. "Any good Auburn man or woman should have no problem in the professional world because of the foundational standards that Auburn asks of its students."
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Pruitt, pursuing his master's in biomechanics after a decorated diving career, noted how the principles outlined in the Auburn Creed lead to success in business.
"Education, work hard. We believe in these things and we love it, and so do these companies," Pruitt said. "These companies believe in these things too and they love that we believe in it."
Tigers Unlimited donors Jeff and Dr. Linda Stone provided the gift that transformed the idea into reality.
"We are extraordinarily grateful to those who invested in our student-athletes during the career tour, especially the Auburn women and men who welcomed them to their places of business, and for the generosity of Jeff and Linda Stone in making it possible," Auburn athletics director John Cohen said. "Preparing student-athletes for career success after sport represents one of our foundational goals. Michelle, Meagan and Janice do an outstanding job carrying out that mission through AuburnYOU."
"Being big supporters of Auburn athletics and wanting to do anything we can to elevate the experience for our student-athletes, we felt it was important to help Auburn provide that opportunity," said Jeff Stone, Brasfield & Gorrie executive vice president. "All of us who are part of the Auburn family need to do everything we can to support these student-athletes.
"We all want them to excel in their athletic endeavors and we certainly want them to be successful later in life too. We all have some obligation to help them be the best they can be because they certainly have brought a lot of joy to us over the years."
Cardwell, training for his senior season on the Plains followed by a potential professional basketball career, knows his outgoing personality could be an excellent match for many corporate roles, including the television studio, following the path of another Auburn hoops legend.
"I'm grateful they gave me a chance to explore life after basketball," Cardwell said. "I'd love to tell Charles Barkley if he needs a sub, I'm here."
Brasfield & Gorrie welcomes Auburn student-athletes during AuburnYOU's inaugural career tour
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer