Club sports help students build real-world skills that set them up for career success while having fun on the field. (Photo by Keeton Holder/DePaul University)
When people think of student success at DePaul, they might picture academic honors, student journalism awards or varsity sports scholarships. While these traditional aspects of university life are invaluable, students also develop career skills in unexpected places like club sports. Beyond competition and camaraderie, club sports teach students essential life skills like budgeting, travel coordination and relationship building, giving them a unique advantage in their post-graduation careers. Like running a “small business”
James Alexander, assistant director of club sports at DePaul, says being involved in club sports goes beyond physical training and mingling with new students. Though he oversees DePaul’s 32 club sports teams, he says each team is driven by student leadership. Presidents, vice presidents, treasurers and social media managers often manage all operations of their teams, building skills that directly translate into the workplace.
“In a way, club officers are in charge of a small business,” he says. “Their customers are their members whom they collect dues from and organize fundraisers with.”
With nearly 900 members, club officers juggle a range of responsibilities like managing tryouts, travel logistics and recruitment strategies, taking advantage of involvement fairs and creative social media strategies. Some officers also handle budgets of up to $250,000.
“It’s a part-time job that prepares them for the real world,” Alexander says. “They create transferable skills that they can use and talk about in a job or graduate school interview.”
Student success in action
Take Anna Wise, for example. A senior majoring in finance and management information systems, Wise balances her passion for lacrosse with her natural talent working with numbers.
Wise says she’s always enjoyed organizing Excel spreadsheets, hence why she works as a student assistant with Alexander in the club sports office. During the day, she tracks the program’s finances. At night, she switches gears as the president of the women’s club lacrosse team. Not only is Wise responsible for leading practices, but organizing tournaments and the team’s finances, including dues and travel expenses.
Though Wise has been playing lacrosse for nine years, her biggest challenge came when she rebuilt the team after the pandemic, as they had become inactive. Through ambitious recruiting efforts at involvement fairs, she grew the team from five members to a close-knit group of 16 players, fostering community through team dinners, study groups and participation in local marathons.
“One skill I’ve learned being a president in club sports is adapting to different communication styles,” Wise says. “I’ve learned to work with different people and have learned to be more conscious of how I engage with them to make sure we can all be successful. This skill has helped me during job searches.”
Alexander observes these skills in action through his work with the club sports allocation board, where he and five club officers host regular “hearings”. During these meetings, clubs exchange ideas on everything from better budget management strategies to effective fundraising tactics.
“When I ask students for feedback, they often say, ‘I’ve learned so much and can’t wait to take new ideas back to my team for next year,’” Alexander says. “These meetings teach students how to take advantage of learning opportunities. This is a crucial skill that will serve them well in the workplace.”
Preparing for the future
As she prepares to graduate, Wise is passing down her leadership to her successor Jacquelyn Packard, training her on budgeting strategies and how to handle financial management software. Looking back at her time as the lacrosse president, Wise says collaboration has become central to her leadership style.
“It’s important to make people feel comfortable enough to speak up during practice,” Wise says. “If I’m correcting someone's shooting, I make it lighthearted and fun. It doesn’t feel like a harsh correction.”
Though Wise is focused on finance-related job applications right now, her leadership role in club sports has inspired her in ways that extend beyond lacrosse.
“Building the lacrosse community at DePaul will always be important to me,” Wise says. “I want to help future students experience the same growth and community I did at DePaul. I hope they love DePaul as much as I’ve come to love it.”