University of Minnesota Athletics
Going Pro: Emerald Egwim
5/23/2018 12:00:00 AM | Student-Athlete Development
Women's track & field student-athlete Emerald Egwim has been preparing for life after athletics even before she ran for the Golden Gophers. Egwim, hailing from St. Paul, Minn., and Eagan High School, has been one of the most driven students as well as athletes on the University of Minnesota campus. She is not only a recipient of multiple Academic All-Big Ten honors but an NCAA All-American and Big Ten champion on the track. Since stepping foot on the Minnesota campus, Egwim has worked hard to set herself up for the next chapter of her life. Already graduating from Minnesota, Egwim is completing her athletic career with one more NCAA postseaston. Read more on her experience in this recent edition of Going Pro.
Gophersports.com: You're wrapping up your collegiate career. Describe what your team and the University has done for you.
Emerald Egwim: My team and the University, specifically my college, the Carlson School of Management, have played a strong role in shaping my collegiate experience. My coaches, the support staff, teammates, and competitors have help me become a better athlete. My professors, classmates and professionals I have met through student groups and internships have helped prepare me for my professional career. I have been challenged by athletics and academics and I am grateful for each and every experience, the joy and tribulation, the long and hard training days and the challenging classes that pushed me to dig a bit deeper and pushed me out of my comfort zone. There is a lot of growth that happens outside of your comfort zone and together they all have helped me to be where I am today.
In speaking with student-athlete development, it sounds like you started preparing for life after college as a freshman. Can you walk us through your process?
EE: In high school, I was involved in athletics, the national honors society, the theatre program and speech and debate and volunteering programs. I was determined to excel and be the best that I could be in all that I was involved in. My family, my mom in particular, has always been a great example of this and always reminded me that, by the grace of God, all things are possible. I held onto and still hold onto those things. There are so many resources and opportunities at the University of Minnesota. Often times, students do not have the time to take advantage of all of these opportunities and that can be especially true for student-athletes. Before I got on campus I knew I wanted to study business and law, but I did not know what area specifically I wanted to focus on.
As a freshman I got in touch with several Carlson advisors and upperclassman Carlson students to gain information and guidance. Through networking I got in touch with several firms and businesses to learn more about what programs they offered. Before I decided what major I was going to commit to, I wanted to know what each major entailed, if it fitted with my strengths and interests and what job opportunities would likely come after I obtained my degree. After meeting with these professionals and students, I had a better idea of what I wanted to study and what I wanted to do professionally after college. Carlson has a mentorship program and they set me up with a recent Carlson graduate who was working in my field of interest. All of these things helped me to create a plan and a path that would help me get to my desired goal. I interviewed with some of these firms and obtained internship offers, completed two internships, in the U.S. and abroad and was then offered a full-time position.
GS: You previously had an internship earlier in your college career. Can you talk about how you were able to get this internship and what your responsibility was did during this internship?
EE: Networking and building meaningful relationships is important. After I established those relationships, opportunities started to align. There are so many professionals looking for students who have effective communication skills, time management skills and are always looking to
learn and better themselves- the skills that many student-athletes have. The internships I held through my college career were consulting internships. My degree focus was information technology and information systems, along with business law. During my internship I helped companies to ensure that their IT security systems had effective IT controls to keep their information and data safe. I had to effectively work with people who had a high understanding of IT along with those who had a very minimal understanding. Knowing how to work with people who are different from me by experience, ethnicity and otherwise really helped me understand how to better communicate with them; this is another skill I learned through being on a team and from working with group members in school.
GS: You were able to secure a job with KPMG. When did you apply, when will you start and what will you be doing in your job?
EE: I was offered a full-time position with KPMG. My application and interview process happened during my internship. After you complete an internship, especially internships leading into your senior year of college, firms will evaluate your performance during the internship and from there they can offer you a full-time position. That is the same process that my internship followed. There is also a fall recruiting season where firms reach out to students and interview them for full-time and internship positions that students can also go through. The full-time position is similar to what I did in my internship. This work includes, working with diverse groups, to make sure that IT security controls are adequate and strong, as well as assessing risk and governance.
GS: How did the student-athlete development office help you prepare for this moment?
EE: Anissa Lightner (director of career services) plays a significant role in helping students become prepared for professional careers. In freshman year all student-athletes have to take a class that teaches about life after sport, and preparing student-athletes for networking experiences throughout their collegiate experience. The preparation includes resume building and professional skills development. Anissa and all of those involved in student-athlete development are happy and excited to help student-athletes gain great opportunities. I know that they are a great resource for students. They also work hard to connect student-athletes to alumni and other University of Minnesota resources and staff to help students find what they are looking for.
GS: If you had to give some advice to younger teammates or fellow Gophers, what would it be?
EE: My advice is to get connected to a professional, a staff member, or professor at the University of Minnesota that can pour into your development. Having mentors and great leaders is important. No one gets through life alone and it is very advantageous to have someone in your corner. I believe it is important to make these connections with those within athletics and outside of athletes. These people can help you create a plan and help guide and push you in the direction of that goal. Student should also remember that success is rarely a straight line up. There are peaks and valleys- remember to be grateful for both and to learn from both-especially the valleys. Gratitude is very powerful; so, remember all of those who help you throughout your journey.
Previous Going Pro Series:
Football: Brandon Lingen
Women's Swimming & Diving: Beth Etterman
Men's Gymnastics: Joel Gagnon
