UNC Asheville Student-Athletes Take on Career Center Trek in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - UNC Asheville student-athletes Addison Wright and Ona Elkins spent their spring break in our nation's capital, as a part of the UNC Asheville Career Center's Trek to Washington, D.C.

This was one of the first treks taken by UNC Asheville in some time, but the school has sponsored smaller trips to closer destinations in the past based on a broad focus of the trek.

"Our goals for the treks are to offer students the opportunity to think about all the different types of careers they might pursue based on their interests and majors," said David Earnhardt, Assistant Director of Employer Relations with the UNC Asheville Career Center. "We try to look at the intersection of careers and graduate programs, at for profit and nonprofit organizations, and governmental agencies."

Students were chosen for the trek that most aligned with their field of study through an application process.

"Applicants are required to meet with the Career Center, have their professional documents reviewed, and also convey why the trek aligns with their career goals," said Earnhardt.

Over the course of the trip, the students visited the United States Department of Justice, the Wall Street Journal and much more. Also included in the trip is a reception with local UNC Asheville alumni to allow students opportunities to network across a wide variety of career paths.

"The Career Center trek to Washington, D.C. taught me that there are a wider variety of possible career paths than I thought," said junior women's swimming and diving student-athlete Addison Wright.
"As I pursue the next steps of emailing contacts and applying to internships, I will definitely need some support from the career center."

"The Career Trek to Washington, D.C. was a really incredible opportunity and experience," said senior women's volleyball student-athlete Ona Elkins. "It allowed me to get closer to my peers in the Political Science major and also exposed me to a wide variety of career types, some of which I had never even heard of. I found myself suddenly excited by the prospect of becoming an employee of the Department of Labor or potentially being a researcher for a think tank on foreign policy. We were introduced to so many important people in the D.C. area, from civil rights lawyers who worked for the Department of Justice to members of Congress. I had only been to D.C. once before in my life, and for a very brief amount of time, so the ability to tour the Capitol was pretty exciting. This trip influenced my future career goals by showing me the many different possibilities available to me post-graduation within my field of study, and also by showing me that there is no singular path to success in life. Overall, I felt the trip was incredibly beneficial to my career development but was also a fun and exciting experience that allowed me to get closer to my UNC Asheville peers and members of the Career Center."

Academic and Compliance Coordinator Jonny Wangrin touched on how the treks enhance the academic experience for Asheville's student-athletes.

"Opportunities like the Career Center Trek to DC are just another great example of how the holistic development of our student-athletes is not only supported by our department, but the entire university," said Wangrin. "The Career Center, and especially the leadership of Lisa Mann & Lauren DeHaan, does amazing work for our students here at UNC Asheville, as a whole they've gone out of their way to cater experiences and services to our student-athletes. It's not like they are altering the services or doing anything different than what they do for everyone, they have just made accommodations and adjustments to help our student-athletes connect with their team by working within and around their busy schedules with athletic and academic commitments. They've met with me on numerous occasions to help cater their services to help meet our athletes "halfway" (or more than halfway) and ensure that they are able to take advantage of the services they provide. This trip is a great example of their continued support, communication, and encouragement of our student-athletes to get involved - and it's clearly made a big difference for those that were able to take this trip and experience this opportunity."

For more information on the UNC Asheville Career Center, visit https://www.unca.edu/careercenter/.

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics

UNC Asheville Student-Athletes Take on Career Center Trek in Washington, D.C.

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