Student-Athlete Career Development through Community Service: A Retrospective Study

This study examined the career development of seven former Southeastern Conference (SEC) student-athletes who were awarded membership to the SEC Community Service team through their contributions both with their teams and individually. The NCAA Division-I student-athlete population is a unique subset of college students that face hindrances through time restraints but also have designated sources aimed to enhance their academic and vocational development, with the latter usually assigned to full-time Life Skills administrators. Through a series of phone interviews focused on reflective collegiate community service and career development, several themes emerged. For collegiate community service the most common themes were: Service Settings, Current Service, and Time Restraints. For career development, the major themes that emerged from the interviews were: Working with Diverse Groups, Scholarship and Admittance into Graduate Programs, and Career Choice/Personal Values.