Chambana Sun

Nine Illinois student-athletes participated in the third annual Illini Way Career Tour, which took place from June 20-21. Throughout two days in Chicago, participants interacted with representatives from four major companies.

Seth Coleman, Ben Clawson, Grayson Griffin, and Kenenna Odeluga from Football; Logan Kuehne from Swim and Dive; Jake Myers from Men's Track and Field; Llyric Driscoll, Sam Poglitsch, and Amber Simpson from Women's Track and Field all took part in this year's program.

The two-day experience – held in partnership between Illini Way Student-Athlete Development, Varsity I, and the University of Illinois College of Media's Department of Advertising – allowed student-athletes to enhance their career readiness through exposure to diverse industries, develop professional and networking skills, and build relationships with alumni and employers in Chicago.

The first day featured sessions with Burns & Wilcox, the largest independent insurance wholesaler in North America, and Highdive, an award-winning independent full-service creative agency. Student-athletes then participated in a meet-and-greet with employers and alumni.

The second day included meetings with TeamDDB, a worldwide marketing communications network specializing in advertising, and TikTok, the leading destination for short-form mobile video with over 1 billion monthly active users.

Describing their time in Chicago as educational, engaging, eye-opening, informative, and fun, the group returned to Illinois with increased insight into future career paths and an influx of connections with industry executives for some of the top companies in the world.

"It really impacted my personal life because it gave me a view of what these different companies are and potentially showed me what I would be best at or like to do in the future," Griffin said. "I would recommend this trip to all student-athletes because it is very useful for life after sports."

For Simpson, the trip opened her eyes to career paths she did not even know existed. With a new understanding of opportunities in a multitude of fields, Simpson is appreciative of her time in the Windy City.

"Networking is an essential tool to grow your career," Simpson said. "I think it's a great opportunity for athletes to start thinking about their future and network."