The latest innovation of Maryland Made, the Individual Mentoring Program Assisting Career Transition – I.M.P.A.C.T., for short – aims to establish relationships between current student-athletes and former student-athletes, alumni, and athletic department supporters in a mentor/mentee setting. The program is comprised of 33 mentor-mentee relationships, with student-athletes from 15 different teams.
The program's goals are two-fold. On one hand, mentorship provides Terp alumni with a meaningful way to give back the university and stay connected with the athletic department. On the other hand, for the student-athletes, the program will provide a platform in which professional skill sets can be learned, career interests and expectations can be discovered, and professional networks can be built.
Student-athletes don't have to be decided on a career path to become mentees in the I.M.P.A.C.T. program. All that is asked of them is to be willing and eager to learn from their mentor, be coachable, and have an idea of how they would like to benefit from the relationship. Will Koras, junior on the men's golf team, joined the program in an effort to build his networking toolbox as well as learn about future job opportunities.
"I thought the I.M.P.A.C.T. program was a great opportunity to give myself an extra boost once I'm in the real world looking for careers," Koras said. "I thought it was a great networking opportunity for me to meet more people who are going to be in the field that I want to go into once I'm done with sports. I also thought it was a really good opportunity for me to learn more about what goes on in the day to day life of the future job field I want to have. I'll be able to find out what skills I need, what challenges I'll face, and what I should be focusing my time on to better prepare myself once I'm in the real world."
Nadia Hackett, a senior on the track and field team who has been a member of the Gossett Fellows and the InTERPship Academy, plans to learn valuable lessons from her mentor as she works towards postgraduate studies.
"I'm excited about this program because I'm really thrilled with the idea of working with someone who is directly in the career field I hope to be in," Hackett said. "I'm hoping that in the spring, when I submit my applications to grad school and medical school, that I feel confident and ready and knowing that I submitted a good application."
Mentors in the I.M.P.A.C.T. program come from a variety of backgrounds, but they all have one thing in common: a passion to help student-athletes. Mentors can provide assistance with a number of professional development tools, such as resume building, leadership training initiatives, networking tools, and internship opportunities. Maryland basketball great Len Elmore – whose background ranges from professional basketball, to law, to education – stands out among a group of highly qualified and eager-to-help mentors in the program.
"The first rubric of professionalism is to be able to step up, accept a bit of a challenge, volunteer, and try to develop rapport," Elmore explained to the inaugural I.M.P.A.C.T. program class. "I think those who have that assertiveness go a long way. I also joined this program because I'm interested in what's going on on campus. I just got named to the advisory board of the Shirley Povich Sports Journalism Center. My wife is on the Board of Trustees. I try to give back to our university when I can. Hopefully I can be of some help with my institutional knowledge."
Angela Perry, who has had an active role in the M Club since 2015, is giving back to provide support that student-athletes from her generation typically didn't receive.
"I chose to be a part of the I.M.P.A.C.T. program because it's a great opportunity for me to be able to give back and support the Gossett programs," Perry said. "I was blessed with the opportunity to be a scholarship athlete at Maryland, but we didn't have the kind of programs that you guys have now. I found coaches, teammates, and athletic department members who were willing to be mentors to me. Hopefully I am able to share what I've learned and what it takes to be successful, just like I learned from my mentors. I hope that I'm able to learn from them as well."
There's no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in things across the board in collegiate athletics, but whenever GSAC has faced adversity, they have performed exceedingly well under the pressure. The year-long mentorship program will begin virtually, with monthly meetings between mentor and mentee. At the end of the inaugural year, mentors and mentees can choose to continue their current mentorship, elect to be matched with an additional student-athlete or mentor, or opt-out of the Mentor Program entirely.
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Maryland Made Kicks Off Inaugural IMPACT Program Class - University of Maryland Athletics - UMTerps.com
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