University of Minnesota Athletics
Colvin Preparing for Life after Athletics
10/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Student-Athlete Development
Feature written by Athletic Communications
Student Intern, Rachel Timmerman
Athletics has a way of bringing people together.
This past summer, track and cross country student-athlete Eric Colvin interned with former Gopher gymnast Michael Paulus at North Star Financial.
"Giving back to the U and helping student-athletes develop their careers is a passion of mine," Paulus said. "I was provided so much in my time at Minnesota - the life lessons, skills, friendships and opportunities all helped put me in the position I'm in today."
Director of Student-Athlete Development Anissa Lightner helped to connect the two Gophers.
"I have kept in touch with [Lightner] since I graduated, she knows the type of people we are looking to hire," Paulus said. "When she runs into someone who she thinks would be a good fit, she lets me know."
Colvin was just a sophomore, thinking about possible internships for the summer, when he reached out to Lightner.
"Since November of last year, she has worked to connect me with people that she thought would be beneficial for me to meet," Colvin said. "It just so happened that Michael reached out to Anissa, and that's when she directed him to me."
The two started out talking on the phone, discussing school, potential careers, and what to do in college to set up Colvin to be successful.
"I was really impressed with how far ahead he was thinking about his future, as many student-athletes don't consider life after athletics until their last day of competition," Paulus said.
Paulus works out of Philadelphia, and most recently Salt Lake City, so strong communication was necessary, which Colvin said came naturally. Paulus was in the process of expanding his practice and opening an office in Salt Lake City, which was where Colvin came in.
"With the expansion, I needed a lot of help with marketing events, researching new prospects, and client acquisition," Paulus said. "Eric had a large role in this process and also worked on some financial planning case studies to get a better idea of what we do as advisors."
Colvin said he gained a lot from his experience, including another athletic connection with Gopher gymnast Zach Liebler.
"I really enjoyed the people as well as the goal-oriented atmosphere of the company," Colvin said.
Colvin and Paulus still keep in touch months after the internship ended.
"I actually spoke with him last week," Paulus said. "I'm very excited to follow his progress when track season starts. All of my family is still in Minnesota so I get back quite often. I'm hoping I can catch a track meet on one of my trips back home."
Colvin is glad for the professional and athletic connection he's gained in Paulus.
"[Michael] understands the sacrifices and the stress that comes with being a student-athlete, so it's very beneficial for me to be able to stay in touch with him to talk about other things besides just work," Colvin said.
