Student-Athletes Gather for 2026 Sophomore Summits

During the 2025-2026 academic year, the L.I.N.K. staff hosted three Sophomore Summits on January 18, February 22, and April 12. This signature event is designed to support second-year Golden Gopher student-athletes in their personal and professional development. These full-day experiences centered on learning, growth, and connection, and served as powerful reminders of our department-wide commitment to developing the total person.

Rooted in the theme "Discover. Develop. Deliver." the Summit programming challenged student-athletes to discover their personal brand, values, skills, and experiences that shape who they are and to explore how to develop authentic communication skills enabling them to deliver these elements through engaging storytelling and professional networking.

The day began with an interactive session, from Leadership U consultant, and OUE First Year Experience co-teacher, Jason Kaul, focused on personal branding. Using insights from the student-athletes' DISC assessments, Jason helped participants understand how their individual leadership styles and strengths can form the foundation of a compelling and authentic brand.

The morning continued with an engaging session led by Big Ten Fellow Kennedy Johnson. Student-athletes explored their personal values and identified the behavior behind these guiding motivations. Through this exploratory process they were able to discover the soft skills that enable them as individuals to interact effectively with others and successfully live out their values in all aspects of their lives.

Leadership U and Andrea Shada, Director of Professional Development & Services, then worked with student-athletes to deliver on these developed brands, values, and skills to engage in thoughtful, intentional storytelling. They learned how to leverage these strengths and values in future professional interactions such as networking and job interviews and gained confidence and clarity ahead of the scheduled afternoon networking programming.

The morning session concluded with a segment on financial literacy provided by Ralph Daby, Assistant Director of One Stop Student Services here at The University of Minnesota. Ralph took student-athletes through a discovery of "the business of YOU" allowing them to imagine their life as a business and how to be the best boss of that brand being intentional with decisions that impact their business.

In the afternoon, the focus shifted to professional networking. This unique opportunity was made possible thanks to more than 30 professionals from across the Twin Cities, including Gopher Athletic alumni, former Leadership Council members, and other industry leaders. Student-athletes were able to practice their storytelling and interviewing skills by participating in networking rotations with an emphasis on professional introductions and career exploration.

The student-athletes embraced the opportunity to learn from professionals, many of whom were once in their shoes. Jayden Edmonson (Men's Swim & Dive) recognized the importance of this experience:

"I honestly left feeling incredibly energized and excited! It was great to revisit some key OUE chapters, especially our values and core skills, and to explore how we can leverage them in shaping our future opportunities, particularly during the interview process. My favorite part for sure was speaking to the many well educated and experienced guests at the networking experience, not only did it help resolve that fear of interviewing or elevator pitches, but it was FUN listening to the myriad of different professionals."

Gopher Athletics Alum and networking guest, Steve Davis Jr., Senior Director of Affinity Engagement at the University of Minnesota's Alumni Association, reiterated this sentiment from the other side of the table:

"Getting the student-athletes to think about life beyond sports and their career at such an early stage is so vital, so important. It makes me proud as a Gopher to be a part of something like this. It makes me proud to see how intentional they are in the spaces where we come and show up…Being in an environment like this and allowing them to hear from others and practice their skills and elevator pitch, and really talk about what's next in their life, is something that is so important…this is going to help them tremendously in life."

Events like the Sophomore Summit would not be possible without the unwavering support of our Gopher coaches. Their belief in the importance of developing the whole person is what makes opportunities like this possible—and we're deeply grateful for their partnership. It's their continued trust and advocacy that allow us to bring meaningful experiences like this to life.

One of the core commitments of Golden Gopher Athletics, United Are We strategic plan is to develop and graduate our student-athletes. The L.I.N.K. aligns, and anchors this commitment through transformational experiences preparing them for lifelong success beyond sport. The Sophomore Summit is a shining example of this mission in action. These efforts reflect L.I.N.K.'s holistic commitment to Leadership & Learning, Inclusion & Innovation, Networking, and Knowledge—each a cornerstone of our work to develop the total person.

We invite all staff to learn more about L.I.N.K. and the student-athlete development work being done every day across Gopher Athletics.

Visit gophersports.com/sports/student-athlete-development to learn more and see the recap video from Sophomore Summit!

The L.I.N.K. team looks forward to welcoming the next group of Sophomore Summit participants in 2027!

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