University of Richmond Athletics
Spiders Help Spiders with Mentor/Mentee Program
01/05/2023 | General, Spider Performance
Richmond, Va. – If ever there was a cliché to sum up the University of Richmond student-athlete experience, "Once a Spider, Always a Spider" would surely be it. This colloquial term used to describe the lifelong connection between the University and its former student-athletes is on full display with Spider Performance and Development's mentor-mentee program.
Now in its second year, the Spiders Mentor program is geared toward matching junior student-athletes with alumni mentors to assist with any range of professional development subjects including networking, transitioning from college athletics to the professional world and day to day experiences of working in an industry of interest.
Examples of pairs include football player Wayne Galloway and University of Richmond women's basketball alum and current Coordinator of Student-Athlete Leadership & Development Jaide Hinds-Clarke, soccer player Logan Anderson and former football student-athlete and strategist for Richmond-based advertising firm The Martin Agency, Stephon Jacob and women's basketball player Grace Townsend and Henrico County Chief of Police, Eric English, who played basketball for the Spiders.
"For starters, I absolutely love this program and am so grateful to have been matched with Stephon," said Anderson. From our first conversation, it felt like I was speaking to an older brother. He and I have very similar career interests and it's been so helpful to speak with such a recent graduate who is already finding success in his marketing career."
Throughout the year, Spiders Performance and Development curates meet-ups around sporting events for the mentors and mentees to engage with one another. Outside formal meetings, the duos are encouraged to meet once a month either in person or virtually.
There are currently over 50 mentor-mentee duos stretching across all 16 varsity programs that assure the connections made as a student-athlete at the University of Richmond exceed far beyond the days of competition.
"I think this program is impactful for our student-athletes because they are able to draw from the experience of alumni that have been in their shoes," said RD Montgomery, Coordinator for Student-Athlete Success. "As much as I love to share my experience with them, I think it hits much harder and is more meaningful when the insights comes from a former Spider."
Any alumni interested in becoming a mentor can reach out to RD Montgomery, Coordinator for Student-Athlete Success, by emailing him at rmontgom@richmond.edu or by connecting on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/r-d-montgomery-32876013/).
Now in its second year, the Spiders Mentor program is geared toward matching junior student-athletes with alumni mentors to assist with any range of professional development subjects including networking, transitioning from college athletics to the professional world and day to day experiences of working in an industry of interest.
Examples of pairs include football player Wayne Galloway and University of Richmond women's basketball alum and current Coordinator of Student-Athlete Leadership & Development Jaide Hinds-Clarke, soccer player Logan Anderson and former football student-athlete and strategist for Richmond-based advertising firm The Martin Agency, Stephon Jacob and women's basketball player Grace Townsend and Henrico County Chief of Police, Eric English, who played basketball for the Spiders.
"For starters, I absolutely love this program and am so grateful to have been matched with Stephon," said Anderson. From our first conversation, it felt like I was speaking to an older brother. He and I have very similar career interests and it's been so helpful to speak with such a recent graduate who is already finding success in his marketing career."
Throughout the year, Spiders Performance and Development curates meet-ups around sporting events for the mentors and mentees to engage with one another. Outside formal meetings, the duos are encouraged to meet once a month either in person or virtually.
There are currently over 50 mentor-mentee duos stretching across all 16 varsity programs that assure the connections made as a student-athlete at the University of Richmond exceed far beyond the days of competition.
"I think this program is impactful for our student-athletes because they are able to draw from the experience of alumni that have been in their shoes," said RD Montgomery, Coordinator for Student-Athlete Success. "As much as I love to share my experience with them, I think it hits much harder and is more meaningful when the insights comes from a former Spider."
Any alumni interested in becoming a mentor can reach out to RD Montgomery, Coordinator for Student-Athlete Success, by emailing him at rmontgom@richmond.edu or by connecting on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/r-d-montgomery-32876013/).
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