Blue Hens Connect Through BLUE Networking Program

NEWARK, Del. – The Blue Hen Family runs deep. Fellow Blue Hens around the world take care of their flock.

That was on display recently when the Athletic Department's BLUE (Building Leaders Utilizing Education) program held its annual networking event which brought together junior student-athletes with recent alumni, donors, and supporters of the Blue Hens to build networking opportunities for their future.The event was presented by Darelle '73 and John '75 Riabov.

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"To me, involvement with UD is all about the students. It's why we're all here. Having this networking venue, where we could meet our student-athletes and see them utilize firsthand the information that was shared, was truly rewarding – not to mention a lot fun," Darelle said.

"Student-athletes understand the value of practice to enhance their skills and ensure success. This event gave them an opportunity to practice their networking skills to ensure success in their lives after UD," John added.

"Being a student-athlete, we have a lot of demands on our time and we sometimes aren't able to attend some of the great opportunities to network that the University provides, but that is why the BLUE program is so valuable to us," junior golfer Isabella Rimton said. "Events like this helps us get the tools and experience we need to prepare for life after college. We get to learn the art of effectively selling ourselves, building valuable relationships and growing our professional network."

"We've been hosting a student-athlete networking event the last few years. Within BLUE, and with the support of John & Darelle Riabov, we enhanced the event this year to include a young alumni panel, two workshops designed to prepare our students for engaging with our professional guests and for their career and job search, and culminating in a more traditional networking hour that included practical application of the tools they just learned, as well as live feedback from our guests. We were thrilled with our students' energy throughout the evening, and our employers, donors, and alumni appreciated interacting and teaching our students real-world career preparation strategies," Senior Associate AD Jenn Judy said.

The event included a question and answer session as well as time for the student-athletes to interact and network with many alumni in the area.

"Exposing our student athletes to an event like this is so valuable in their career development process. It is an educational, practical, and purposeful opportunity, where they can see what an event like this is all about and actively network and connect with alumni, employers, and friends of the University of Delaware," Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Career Readiness Christine Motta said. "Great collaboration and partnership across campus between the Career Center, the Blue Hen Leadership Program and the Department of Athletics made this experience possible for our student athletes. It was a meaningful time of conversations and connections for all who attended."

The event is held twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring, for all junior student-athletes.

"We're very grateful to the UD alumni and Blue Hen friends who volunteered their time and talents to contribute to the success of this event," the Riabovs added.

University of Delaware Athletics

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