Three Student-Athletes Participate in Big 12 SAAC Career Tour

LUBBOCK, Texas – In alignment with the Dr Pepper Big 12 Football Championships, the Big 12 Conference office hosted its annual Big 12 SAAC Career Tour in early December, which featured three Texas Tech student-athletes. The purpose of the Career Tour is to provide student-athlete leaders across the membership the opportunity to invest in their career and professional development beyond their respective sport.

Seniors Zuliat Alli (Women's Track and Field), Lonzell Gilmore (Football), and Bjorn Thomson (Men's Tennis) were among the 20 Big 12 SAAC representatives invited to participate in the experiential professional development weekend.

"The Big 12 SAAC Career Tour was an incredible experience for me," said Thomson, a member of the Texas Tech SAAC executive board and the chair of the 2019-20 Big 12 SAAC. "This experience reminds you that you are much more than just an athlete at your school. People genuinely care about making me and my peers better people. It showed me that what you do day-in and day-out is preparing you to succeed in your career beyond college."

The career tour included remarks from Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, a visit to Learfield IMG headquarters, career preparation with Kate Burda of Kate Burda & Co., interactive panels with over six business leaders and one-on-one career developmental skills sessions, including mock interviews, resume review, job search information and more.
The trio was fortunate to see a J.T. & Margaret Talkington Leadership Academy Suited For Success partner and career transition coach, Chris Ogbbonnaya, who provided an interactive workshop aimed to provide advice and perspectives regarding life after sport and how to prepare for the future.

"The experience was very influential on how I approach my future now with being retired from athletics," said Gilmore, who joined the group as a replacement for his senior teammate, Travis Bruffy. Gilmore was a dedicated member of Texas Tech SAAC and major contributor to the Lubbock community.

In addition to one-on-one skills sessions, the group was able to participate in various networking opportunities throughout the weekend including a networking reception Friday evening prior to Saturday's Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship game.

"The Big 12 Career Tour was an amazing experience," said Alli, the Texas Tech SAAC Vice President and an at-large Big 12 SAAC member. "Each part of the event was tailored to the student- athlete experience, with an emphasis on tools and techniques for empowering students-athletes throughout their careers. SAAC has allowed me to form closer relationships with people from other schools and different teams on campus. It gives greater access to the administration so they know us and we know them. It has also provided me an opportunity to really make an impact."

The Big 12 SAAC leadership team consist of 24 elected student-athletes from each institution in the conference with additional Division I SAAC and Autonomy governance representatives.

Three Student-Athletes Participate in Big 12 SAAC Career Tour

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