BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech Office of Student-Athlete Development held its annual Student-Athlete Career Jumpstart on Monday, Feb. 22. The event, held in Lane Stadium, was sponsored by Carilion Clinic, N.B. Handy, and Aflac.

“We want our student-athletes to get a lot out of this event,” Associate Athletics Director of Student-Athlete Development Reyna Gilbert-Lowry said. “Primarily the opportunity to interact with professionals in order to increase their network as well as their networking skills.”

The Career Jumpstart, an exclusive event for Virginia Tech junior and senior student-athletes, provided opportunities for the Hokies to enhance career development skills while providing professional organizations with the opportunity to interact with potential candidates for internships and employment opportunities.

“I wanted to attend Career Jumpstart to learn a little bit more about the recruiting process and interviewing when looking for a job after college,” said swimming & diving student-athlete Holly Harper. “It was really informative, learning about companies that you may have never dreamed you could work for as well as learning interview tactics.”

The evening consisted of an employer panel, career preparation round table and networking reception to help prepare Virginia Tech student-athletes for future career fairs and interviews.

In addition to enhancing networking skills, student-athletes were able to have a professional headshot taken by Virginia Tech Athletics photographer Dave Knachel.

The evening culminated with a drawing where baseball's Jon Woodcock and women's basketball's Tara Nahodil each won a business suit provided by Carilion Clinic.