Two Kentucky student-athletes – swimming and diving junior Glen Brown and gymnastics senior Sidney Dukes – participated in the Southeastern Conference Career Tour Nov. 27-29 in Atlanta.
Brown and Dukes were among 28 current and former student-athletes from each SEC school to participate in the third annual career tour, which provides exposure for SEC student-athletes who are seeking career opportunities in various fields. The group visited headquarters and met with executives at various Atlanta-area corporations, including UPS, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Home Depot and the Atlanta Hawks.
“I am grateful to have attended the 2018 SEC Career Tour as it helped me better understand what it is like to transition from college to the work environment,” Brown said. “The opportunity to meet with UPS, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Home Depot and the Atlanta Hawks was a learning experience. I would like to thank the University of Kentucky Athletics Department, Greg Sankey and Misty Brown for this opportunity.”
Brown leads the Kentucky men’s swimming program with four times ranked in the 2018-19 NCAA top 100. The Kokomo, Indiana, native also has the best NCAA rank among the UK men, filling the 36th spot in the nation in the 200-yard individual medley. The upperclassman holds a school record in the event with a 1:44.16 charted in the preliminary bout of the 2018 SEC Championships, which granted him a finals lane. He is the only current swimmer on the men’s roster to hold an individual program record.
“The Career Tour was an amazing experience,” Dukes said. “I’m so thankful to be chosen to attend. The companies that we visited on the tour were nothing short of amazing and they all offered guidance for those of us about to enter the real world. My favorite part was listening to how each business person’s path was different. This helped reassure me that nothing is going to be perfect and finding the job you love is out there, but it might take time to search. I loved getting to connect with everyone and am looking forward to staying in touch with a couple of the businesses. Overall, it was a great experience that I recommend to anyone who had the chance. The connections I made on the trip wouldn’t have been possible without the SEC and their support.”
Dukes is a senior standout for the Kentucky gymnastics team majoring in business marketing. The Tyler, Texas, native was a First-Team All-American as a freshman and last year took home a share of the SEC floor championship.
Also included on the agenda were a dinner with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and presentations by Josh Foliart, former Arkansas football student-athlete and co-founder and CEO of the MULTIPLi Global, and Randy Hain, founder and president of Serviam Partners. Former Auburn swimming and diving student-athlete Beatriz Travalon and former Georgia women’s basketball student-athlete Haley Clark engaged thegroup in a panel discussion on how the SEC Career Tour helped them during their job search process.
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Guy Ramsey
