WINONA, Minn. – At Saint Mary’s University, student-athletes not only work hard to earn their degree while competing in one of the nation’s most competitive conferences, but they also actively take steps toward building successful careers.
This summer, junior pitcher Jack Schafer of the Cardinal baseball team was selected to attend the 2025 NCAA Career in Sports Forum (CSF), held May 28th-31st at the NCAA National Office in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The forum brought together 200 junior and senior student-athletes around the country for an immersive experience focused on exploring careers in sports, featuring networking opportunities, motivational speakers, and career guidance from professionals across professional and collegiate athletics.
“This opportunity provided me with several connections, both with peers and people who are already established,” said Schafer. “I received so much great advice from current coaches on the best paths to reach my goals, and it also opened my mind to the vast number of opportunities in a career in sports.”
From Brainerd, Minnesota, Schafer is majoring in Biology and Pre-Physical Therapy. He balances a demanding academic major with the rigorous schedule of the baseball team with long days and late nights, yet remains focused on building a bright future for himself.
At the CSF, attendees developed networking skills with peers and key decision-makers across campus, conference, and national levels of college athletics, gaining exposure to a variety of roles within the industry. With so many career opportunities in athletics, it can be difficult for student-athletes to know what paths are available or where to start, this forum helps provide clarity and reassurance about their future in the field.”
“We learned invaluable tips on how to network, how to identify our strengths and weaknesses and how to capitalize on them, and also how to live with an identity outside of our sport.”
Schafer was one of only three student-athletes from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) to attend the event.
He said it was an amazing experience!
“Each day that we were there was an opportunity to meet someone who could change your future, however that was not going to happen by mistake.”
Read the story on Saint Mary’s Sports.
