In the latest episode of “ATHLETES TO ENTREPRENEURS: The Alumni Journey” hosted by Alumni Direct, we speak with Renee Washington, a former college hall of fame soccer player, founder and CEO, and ESPN reporter. 

Tell me about your transition out of sports.

"I always have been someone who juggled multiple things. I grew up playing many sports at once...and for me, as I started trying to figure out what I wanted to do career-wise and professionally, as a public relations major I was actively getting involved. Our school made us have at least one internship for the communications department. Through that internship is what encouraged me to continue having internships and to continue to take advantage of the opportunities to get that hands-on experience. It was through that experience that helped me to really understand that there are aspects that I enjoy about public relations, and there are aspects that I didn't really want to do. And so for my passion and the things I enjoy the most, as I was talking through it, it definitely aligned more with being a reporter. And just having no two days be the same. The full irony is that my undergrad degree is in Public Relations and my masters is in Educational Leadership, and for both of those...I didn't even know how it related to broadcasting. But it's not just about broadcasting, it's about the other things that I do. Public Relations work and definitely Educational Leadership directly relate to the work that I do within my organization and my work outside of broadcasting. I always say, there's value in your degree and your education and your learning, because you never know where it's going to make sense."

What advice would you give to athletes who struggle to transition out of their sport?

"Sports are a vehicle to help you get to some other opportunities, so as you talk about networking and alumni connections and different things, a lot of that comes through sports. As you're training, as you're competing, as you're working on winning games and scoring...also take advantage of those opportunities to learn more about yourself and learn more about what you want to do and what you enjoy doing, and having conversations with people, because at some point sports do come to an end. We all get old, we all have to retire, at least at a competitive level, and so then what? So you want to set yourself up to be prepared for life after sports because it will come at some point or another. I still use my sports background...it still opens doors for me. So, do as much as you can within it, learn as much as you can, meet as many people as you can, but always be thinking about what's next too."

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