A Career Advantage: Davidson Parents Help the Next Generation of Scholar-Athletes Explore, Network and Succeed
September 12, 2024
- Author
- Caroline Roy
Students attend a networking event held as part of the Pro ’Cats program.
Being a scholar-athlete at Davidson College means upholding high expectations, managing a schedule packed with academic and athletic commitments, and achieving excellence in both. Last year, the entire athletic program boasted a combined 3.5 GPA. Now a program designed to help scholar-athletes carry this standard of excellence into their lives and careers post-graduation has received a boost from a Davidson College family.
Josh King joined the Betty and B. Frank Matthews II ’49 Center for Career Development in 2019 with a mission to launch Career Advantage, a specialized effort to prepare scholar-athletes for high-impact career outcomes in their post-Davidson College lives.
With an initial three years of funding, the Matthews Center implemented workshops, networking events, career trips and one-on-one coaching sessions accessible to athletes throughout their busy semesters. King even tags along to away games, offering resume appointments and mock interviews on long bus rides and in hotel lobbies.
There’s so much opportunity, especially for first- and second-year students. Many of them will start interviewing for summer internships early on. We’re here to give them a place to start — they’ll need to be able to articulate their skillsets, build connections and advocate for themselves.
Interim Director of the Matthews Center | Associate Director for Engagement & Athlete Career Development
This important work won’t end anytime soon. Thanks to generous support from Don and Sheryl Herrema, whose daughter, Katherine, graduated from Davidson in May, Career Advantage will continue to serve scholar-athletes for years to come.
Katherine chose Davidson in part for the strong sense of community she felt on campus, a community her parents fell in love with, too. Don and Sheryl served as co-chairs of the Parents Council, started attending Davidson College Presbyterian Church (DCPC) and never missed a basketball game when they were in town. A few years ago, the family built a home in nearby Cornelius.
“We’ve come to really enjoy and appreciate Davidson,” Don said. “It’s been a time of building relationships in the community, and it’s very important to us to participate, engage and give back.”
Sheryl and Don Herrema with their daughter, Katherine ’24, at Katherine’s graduation
The pair’s passion for Davidson sports led to conversations with Vice President and Director of Athletics Chris Clunie ’06. Through this relationship, they learned about the significant impact of Career Advantage and the program’s need for continued support.
“We jumped in with both feet,” Don said. “Davidson’s athletics program is unique. Between excelling at their sport and rigorous academics, it can be hard for athletes to find time for career development. The opportunity to play a small part in enhancing the career experience is very gratifying.”
Scholar-athletes are appreciative of the additional, personalized guidance and the promise of the program’s future.
Before she’d even started her first year at Davidson, field hockey player and Bryan Scholar Sarah Grace Clifton ’26 learned about Career Advantage from her coach, who encouraged her to sign up for advising appointments. Clifton juggles competing demands, between playing field hockey, leading philanthropic projects at Connor Eating House, handling internal analytics for the men’s basketball team and building her own digital studies major.
“My coaches really believe in the resources the Matthews Center has to offer,” she said. “The advisers get to know you and your interests over time, so they’re always recommending opportunities. Josh keeps me updated about job fairs, networking events, grad schools and internships.”
Last winter break, Clifton participated in Pro ’Cats, a nationally recognized professional development bootcamp established through Career Advantage. Over the course of three days, she and a group of fellow athletes participated in leadership workshops, attended an etiquette dinner and connected with alums at a Charlotte Networking Reception hosted by President Doug Hicks ’90.
A cohort of Davidson College scholar-athletes participate in the Pro ’Cats program in 2023.
As part of the Pro ‘Cats three-day professional bootcamp program, students take part in an etiquette dinner.
More recently, Clifton accompanied King to the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum as one of the two A-10 conference representatives.
About half of Davidson’s scholar-athletes go into fields related to business or finance after they graduate, but Pro ’Cats remains open to all industries. With the Herremas’ support, King hopes to expand the program to include workshops for students interested in specific careers. He’d also love to implement Career Treks for scholar-athletes and expand the Matthews Center’s capacity for individual counseling sessions — the number of athlete appointments doubled in the first two years of the program, from 400 to 800.
“Davidson students are here to get a great education, and they are driven to succeed in their fields after graduating,” King said. “Thirty-five percent of our scholar-athletes come into Davidson saying they don't know where to start. Our job is to give them that initial direction and encourage them to start exploring as early as possible. I’m grateful we can continue this program and help even more students find their best path after college.”
