Upcoming Event: Women's Tennis at Kitty Harrison Invitational on September 12, 2025
Women's Tennis
at Kitty Harrison Invitational
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Photo by: Duke Athletics
Duke Career Trek Introduces Student-Athletes to Professional Options, Corporate Connections
2/26/2024 7:07:00 AM | Iron Dukes, Athletics
December 2023 excursion a result of the generosity of Iron Dukes members Raquel and Jeremy Palmer
The inaugural Duke Career Trek brought nine Blue Devil student-athletes to New York City to visit five distinguished corporations - Nike, Royal Bank of Canada, Fanatics, PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPS Capital - with Duke alumni and Iron Dukes members providing a glimpse into the inner workings of the companies and the day-to-day life of its employees.
The student-athletes and accompanying university staff members began the outing at the Today Show with a guided behind-the-scenes tour of the studio. Later that evening, the group joined a pre-game alumni reunion and cheered the Duke men's basketball team to victory over Baylor inside Madison Square Garden.
"The entire trip was so memorable, so it's hard to pick out certain moments," said sophomore golfer Ethan Evans. "The most beneficial part was seeing how many great options there are for work after college."
Considering a career in investment banking and private equity, Evans was excited about the visits to RBC and KPS, but also benefited from experiencing different workplace cultures, such as Nike and Fanatics.
"It definitely made me consider there are a lot of options out there, not just finance," he said. "It gave me the perspective of why people want to work in this industry versus that one. It was good for comparison."
Track and field junior Danielle Bryant, who is interested in a business career with a focus on consulting and sales, said her most memorable experience was going to RBC and seeing the sales and trading floor. "It was a great example of a workplace that embodied the competitiveness of being a student-athlete."
Bryant noted how the Duke alumni helped the attendees learn how to market themselves as student-athletes during employment searches and within job interviews. "There are so many benefits to being a student-athlete and how our skills apply directly to these jobs," she said. "It was great to meet so many successful former Duke student-athletes."
Joining Evans and Bryant among the student-athletes selected from the application process were Michael Bennett, track and field; Karolina Berankova, tennis; Roman DiGiacomo, baseball; Noelle Fuchs, rowing; Aretha Gao, fencing; Rachel Kowalsky, fencing; and Aminah Vega, softball.
The student-athletes were accompanied and mentored by Duke staff members Leslie Barnes, Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Development; Dawn Kane, Director of Student-Athlete Development; Heather Ryan, Deputy Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Experience; Greg Victory, Assistant Vice President and Executive Director of the Career Center; and Nina King, Vice President, Director of Athletics.
Evans recommends any student-athlete to apply for the next Duke Career Trek experience. "I think it's a great opportunity," he said. "Even if you think you're only interested in one or two of the companies on the planner, still go and check it out. You don't really know what you're getting into until you are in a meeting room with people that are working there, telling you how it actually works. That really helped me understand what life could look like in three-to-four years, and could I see myself in this place."
The December 2023 excursion was a result of the generosity of Iron Dukes members Raquel and Jeremy Palmer.
"Duke student-athletes are incredibly impressive young individuals who spend so much of their time competing at the highest levels academically and in their sport. It was important to us that they also get to experience how Duke can help shape their future," said Raquel Palmer. "Helping provide them with opportunities like the Duke Career Trek, where they can see first-hand what potential careers could look like and start to build their professional network, hopefully enhances their overall Duke experience and how they will eventually impact the world."
The student-athletes and accompanying university staff members began the outing at the Today Show with a guided behind-the-scenes tour of the studio. Later that evening, the group joined a pre-game alumni reunion and cheered the Duke men's basketball team to victory over Baylor inside Madison Square Garden.
"The entire trip was so memorable, so it's hard to pick out certain moments," said sophomore golfer Ethan Evans. "The most beneficial part was seeing how many great options there are for work after college."
Considering a career in investment banking and private equity, Evans was excited about the visits to RBC and KPS, but also benefited from experiencing different workplace cultures, such as Nike and Fanatics.
"It definitely made me consider there are a lot of options out there, not just finance," he said. "It gave me the perspective of why people want to work in this industry versus that one. It was good for comparison."
Track and field junior Danielle Bryant, who is interested in a business career with a focus on consulting and sales, said her most memorable experience was going to RBC and seeing the sales and trading floor. "It was a great example of a workplace that embodied the competitiveness of being a student-athlete."
Bryant noted how the Duke alumni helped the attendees learn how to market themselves as student-athletes during employment searches and within job interviews. "There are so many benefits to being a student-athlete and how our skills apply directly to these jobs," she said. "It was great to meet so many successful former Duke student-athletes."
Joining Evans and Bryant among the student-athletes selected from the application process were Michael Bennett, track and field; Karolina Berankova, tennis; Roman DiGiacomo, baseball; Noelle Fuchs, rowing; Aretha Gao, fencing; Rachel Kowalsky, fencing; and Aminah Vega, softball.
The student-athletes were accompanied and mentored by Duke staff members Leslie Barnes, Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Development; Dawn Kane, Director of Student-Athlete Development; Heather Ryan, Deputy Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Experience; Greg Victory, Assistant Vice President and Executive Director of the Career Center; and Nina King, Vice President, Director of Athletics.
Evans recommends any student-athlete to apply for the next Duke Career Trek experience. "I think it's a great opportunity," he said. "Even if you think you're only interested in one or two of the companies on the planner, still go and check it out. You don't really know what you're getting into until you are in a meeting room with people that are working there, telling you how it actually works. That really helped me understand what life could look like in three-to-four years, and could I see myself in this place."
The December 2023 excursion was a result of the generosity of Iron Dukes members Raquel and Jeremy Palmer.
"Duke student-athletes are incredibly impressive young individuals who spend so much of their time competing at the highest levels academically and in their sport. It was important to us that they also get to experience how Duke can help shape their future," said Raquel Palmer. "Helping provide them with opportunities like the Duke Career Trek, where they can see first-hand what potential careers could look like and start to build their professional network, hopefully enhances their overall Duke experience and how they will eventually impact the world."
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