KANSAS - The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is proud to bring you the "KCAC Alumni Spotlight" series. Every two weeks, the conference will aim to highlight an alumnus of one of our KCAC full member institutions. We hope in this series to highlight successes that KCAC alumni had not only on the field, court, etc., but also in the classroom and now in their chosen professional field.
KCAC ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT — BETHEL COLLEGE
Alumnus: Abby Schmidt
Degree Earned at Bethel: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Minor in Sport Management), 2021
Postgraduate Degree(s): Masters in Sports Management, University of Kansas, 2023
Career Alumnus Currently Holds: Director of Facilities and Events for University of Kansas Athletics
How did your time at Bethel help to prepare you for life after college/entering the workforce?
SCHMIDT: “I give a lot of credit for the current position I hold in my professional life to then-Bethel Director of Athletics Tony Hoops (now Vice President of Athletics at Northwestern College). I was able to work in his office as a student assistant for all four years of my college career. This time allowed me to experience a wide lens view of how college athletics functions and showed me how hard you have to work to be successful in a field as competitive as collegiate sports. It also gave me the confidence to go outside my comfort zone post-grad and apply for positions that I thought were out of reach for me. There are so many lessons that I learned at Bethel that translate from the NAIA to NCAA and still provide a framework today for how I do a lot of my job."
Were there any pre-professional experiences (internships/job shadows/etc.) during your college years that prepared you for entering your chosen field?
SCHMIDT: “I was able to spend each of my four years as a student assistant in the Athletic Department. During this time I was able to do multiple things in various areas which helped prepare me for this position."
What lessons did you learn competing in collegiate athletics that helped prepare you for life after your playing days were over?
SCHMIDT: “Problem solving. A lot of what I do in facilities and events is focused on solving problems that arise; some pre-event, but a lot of them on the fly. Being able to be adaptable and quickly adjust and shift my thinking to the next issue at hand and how to go about solving it, is largely similar to the basketball court. You can go into a game with a well thought-out gameplan with carefully scouted information, but as soon as the game starts, that gameplan has to be constantly shifting and evolving based on what is going on in front of you. This is how most events unfold as well. Being able to focus on what is the most important item at hand is critical, both on the basketball court and now in my current line of work!"
ABOUT THE KANSAS COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and sponsors 28 varsity sports. Founded in 1890, the KCAC is the second oldest intercollegiate athletic conference in the country. As the conference home to 14 member institutions, the KCAC emphasizes commitment, cooperation, high achievement, and working towards a common goal in the act of competition. To keep up with the latest conference news, follow the KCAC on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram using the handle @kcacsports.
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