University of Tennessee Athletics
Davis and Kelley Reflect on SEC Career Tour
December 30, 2017 | General
By Kyle Williams
UTSports.com
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Two of the University of Tennessee's most academically accomplished student-athletes attended the Southeastern Conference Career Tour held Nov. 28-30 in Atlanta, Ga.
Senior rower Jennifer Davis and senior track and field member Drew Kelley joined 26 other student-athlete representatives from across the SEC on tours of corporate organizations and a visit to the Boys & Girls Club of America. The experience not only provided substantial insight for students seeking career opportunities after graduation, it also presented them with the opportunity to interact with other athletes who spend their respective seasons competing against one another.
Some of the companies visited on the tour included Turner Broadcasting System, Delta Airlines and the Atlanta Braves organization. While group panels and public Q&A sessions gave the athletes exposure to multiple facets of corporate employment, the participants were also able to network in a more personal setting with former athletes, where Davis learned of the wide range of success shared among fellow VFLs.
"Just knowing that there is people that have graduated - especially student-athletes from Tennessee - that are out there doing great things and are really successful, I think that network in itself was important," Davis said.
For Kelley, who plans to earn a master's degree in finance after he graduates, connecting with employers who share similar athletic backgrounds was an opportunity to view a variety of possibilities that he may encounter in the future.
"We talked to a lot of people that were former athletes who work at Delta and different industries," Kelley said. "The advice they gave and the chance to be able to meet with them and have personal conversations with them one-on-one was a tremendous experience that builds not only your networking skills, but also the opportunity to gain knowledge and further your learning and career path."
A member of the First Team Big 12 Academic All-Conference in 2016 and 2017, Davis understands what it takes to maintain consistency in both the academic and athletic arena. However, spending time at the Boys & Girls Club of America offered her both a change of pace to a hectic weekend as well as a unique perspective into an organization that touches millions of families each year.
"It was much needed," Davis said. "I think when you think of the Boys & Girls Club, you think more of volunteer opportunities, but the guy who took us around really made it clear that it's a business. They're not just a daycare or an after-school activity. There's a science behind what they do."
After the student-athletes were shown the business side of the Boys & Girls Club, they were able to spend time interacting with the children, an experience that took both Kelley and Davis back to their days on the playground.
"We ended up playing duck-duck-goose, which I haven't played since I was about six," Davis said. "It was incredible."
"They gave us time to play with the kids and do a little community service," Kelley said. "We played four square and basketball, and it was awesome having so many people and so many good athletes in the room. You could tell these kids were really excited and look up to these people."
Aside from touring some of the top corporate entities in the southeast region, the student-athletes' interaction with one another throughout the three days was a unique aspect of the tour that Davis admitted came naturally, even while the in-season relationships among them remain competitive.
"It felt like I knew them," Davis said. "It felt like just going and hanging out with another team like you would here. You just instantly bonded with them, and it really didn't matter that we were from different schools or were rivals."
While both Volunteers continue to represent Tennessee as model students and athletes, Kelley will make sure to carry with him all of the lessons learned, experiences shared, and friendships he made in Atlanta.
"It was phenomenal," he said. "I'm super appreciative to Tennessee and the SEC for giving me an opportunity to go. It was just a tremendous experience."
