University of Minnesota Athletics
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/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Summer Spotlight: Alan LeBlang
5/16/2019 9:22:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving, M Club
Alan LeBlang is a graduating senior from the swimming and diving program and a past participant at the NCAA and Big Ten Championship level. Out of the water, LeBlang is an exceptional student. A multiple Academic All-Big Ten honoree, LeBlang has also held one of the top grade point averages in the athletic department the past two years. The Centennial, Colo., native is set to do big things following his collegiate career. He's accepted a position at Optum and was the 2019 recipient of the Big Ten Post-Graduate Scholarship. We caught up with LeBlang as he begins his professional career.Tell us about your Gopher experience and more specifically the swimming and diving team.
My Gopher experience began five years ago when the Gopher Diving Head Coach, Wenbo Chen, began recruiting me. I was so excited to meet Wenbo and consider the University of Minnesota because the program has such a long history of continuous success. I fell in love with the campus and the swimming and diving team once I visited the U a few months later! I've really enjoyed my time at Minnesota since then. During my four years of college, I was very focused on improving my athletics and contributing to the team's success. I'm sad to see this time go, but I'm excited to enter a new stage in my life.
How were you able to secure your position with Optum?
Following graduation, I'll begin working as a consulting business analyst at Optum. Optum is a health information technology and services firm that is part of UnitedHealth Group. I'll work at Optum's Corporate Headquarters in Eden Prairie. I secured my full-time position in the fall of my senior year. Before receiving my offer of employment, I completed two in-person interviews. These interviews served as an opportunity to explore whether the role was a good fit for me. Throughout the course of the interviews, I toured Optum's campus, met with current employees, and shared my experiences and interests with interviewers.
Did you have any previous internships that helped you gain experience and eventually lead you into this opportunity?
I participated in a number of internships as an undergraduate. A couple of these experiences led to my full-time position. My first internship took place during the spring semester of my junior year when I worked as a marketing consultant for Medtronic. This opportunity taught me the importance of leveraging soft skills when interacting with business clients. Following this experience, I was eager to pursue more opportunities in the healthcare industry. I ended up accepting a summer position with UnitedHealth Group as a sourcing analyst. It was through this internship that I learned about my future full-time position. When I expressed an interest in learning more about Optum, my UHG manager actually helped me get in contact with Optum HR Recruiters. Months later when I accepted my full-time position, I was ultimately told that my diverse experiences in the healthcare industry helped shape me into an ideal candidate.
You've also been awarded the Big Ten Post graduate scholarship. Many individuals work a full time job while pursuing a master's degree. What do plan on going into for your graduate degree?
My plan for graduate school is still in the works. I'd like to continue my education by obtaining a master of business administration or a master of public policy degree. I will most likely go back to school in the fall of 2021 or 2022. As you've mentioned, many people work full-time while pursuing a part-time master's degree. At the moment, I'm unsure whether a full-time or part-time degree program is the best choice for me.
What advice do you have for other student-athletes or former teammates on how to prepare for life after college?
My advice for student-athletes is to continuously question your interests. Student-athletes are required to make many mature life decisions at a young age. Despite this reality, people's professional goals and interests are always changing. Instead of blindly pursuing the ambitions that you had as a teenager, adjust your trajectory in order to reach your true passions.
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