As seen in the SDSU Alumni Newsletter
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Aztecs Going Pro is a four-year student-athlete development program centered around personal growth, career development, and civic engagement. Student-athletes receive yearly innovative programming, one-on-one coaching, and unique experiential learning opportunities that help them create and prepare for their post-graduate plans and build a strong network of connections available through the SDSU community.
San Diego State lacrosse alumna Katy Sharretts ('21) shares her journey at SDSU and how Aztecs Going Pro helped prepare her for success after her playing career was over.
Q: Degree(s)/Graduation Year(s):
Majored in Sociology with a Minor in CSP (counseling and psychology).
2015-2021: I redshirted my first year, then COVID year got canceled, so I was awarded a 6th.
Q: Describe your journey to SDSU.
I have played lacrosse basically since I was born. I knew I wanted to play this sport as soon as I played my first game and made friends immediately with common interests. Throughout the years, I ended up being pretty good at it, good enough to look into playing at the D1 level in college. I went through the whole recruiting process before I finished my sophomore year of high school. I was choosing between my top 2 favorites, Denver and SDSU. I eventually visited both schools a few more times and fell in love with San Diego. Not only was the weather amazing year-round, but the team, the coaches, and the location were impossible to beat. I eventually committed to SDSU in December of 2012, and I could not wait to start my journey! I still had two more years of high school to go through!
Q: Favorite memory from playing lacrosse at SDSU?
This may be the hardest question to answer. I always say if I could play lacrosse at SDSU for six more years, I would! Though I had so many great memories, I think 2 of them deserve that title. I'd say it's a solid tie between winning the 2019 conference championship against UC Davis and beating USC in overtime at the Colosseum in 2021. Those two memories will forever be my all-time favorite!
Q: How have you used your SDSU education to achieve success after graduation?
I have to be honest; I haven't used my degree at all specifically. However, sociology is the study of people, and I make connections with new people every single day. I think in order to be a "people person" or even just a good salesman (or woman), it helps to have an education where I have learned about how to handle different situations from different people. We, as humans, are very complex yet very simple. You just have to take the time to learn how!
Q: How did Aztecs Going Pro prepare and/or help you with your professional career journey?
Sharretts committed to SDSU to play lacrosse during her sophomore year of high school in 2012 after falling in love with the San Diego weather, the coaches, and the team.
Aztecs Going Pro has actually helped me more than I thought it would. To be honest, I didn't take this class as seriously as I should have at first. This program started when I was a junior, I believe, so this class was just randomly added to our schedule that year and was required in order to graduate. But after a year, when I was starting to think about my post-college life, I took advantage. The career fairs, the dinner with an Aztec, and especially learning how to make my resume and LinkedIn look good helped me tremendously. Networking is one of the best things you can do for yourself in the career world, and Aztecs Going Pro taught me how to do just that.
Q: What, if any, challenges have you faced, and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge I faced was choosing to redshirt during my freshman year. I had been recruited by SDSU since the start of my high school freshman year and committed during my sophomore year. I was determined to make SDSU my forever home and to get as much playing time as possible. However, about a month into my freshman year of college, I was asked to redshirt because there were two older goalies who were already guaranteed a spot on the field. This setback was unexpected since I had hoped to earn a spot on the roster as soon as I arrived.
I discussed the situation with my coaches, and they suggested that I redshirt to give the current goalies their playing time and save mine for later. It took me about a week to make an official decision because I was convinced I deserved immediate playing time. Later on, I discovered that this rarely happens, and I'm grateful I didn't waste a year of eligibility. Ultimately, it turned out to be one of the best decisions I made because it allowed me to stay at SDSU for six years, spread out my classes, and avoid academic struggles each year. I played for four years and set numerous school and conference records.
Although I initially thought that not playing right away would set me back, it actually made me a better player and enabled me to learn a lot both on and off the field."
Q: Describe your current career/job.
I currently work at a sporting goods company called "StringKing" located in Los Angeles. I am the account manager for over 3,500 lacrosse teams, both nationally and internationally. We manufacture our own branded lacrosse equipment, and my job is to sell our products to teams & provide them discounts so they can buy quality products at a low price.
Q: How did being a student-athlete prepare you for life after college?
The Aztecs Going Pro program started Sharretts' junior year and allowed her to set herself up for success post-college. Sharrett now works at a sporting goods company called "StringKing," located in Los Angeles.
One big answer to this question is time management. Balancing school, homework, practice, lifts, and meetings requires effective time management skills. The ability to juggle multiple priorities is precious in the workforce. It's something almost every company looks for when you are researching careers. Another big one is discipline and work ethic. This one is significant to me because it separates student-athletes from regular students. To experience setbacks, failures, and injuries and still overcome obstacles is one of the best qualities one can have moving into a career. To quickly list a few more, communication, networking, competitiveness, and goal setting are all things being a student-athlete has prepared me for the real world.
Q: What skills did you gain from being a student-athlete?
Time management, teamwork, and leadership are all skills that are highly transferable and can give you a competitive advantage in the job market and help you succeed in various aspects of life after college.
Q: How did you balance being a lacrosse player and school work?
Though this sometimes was not an easy thing to do, what helped me the most was the way I planned my classes based on class. Thankfully, our practice and lifts/runs were all in the morning. We would be done by 11:30 am which made it easy to schedule classes later in the day. I also knew I was going to have a 5th year since my freshman year, so I was able to stretch out some classes and not overload each semester. I personally think I was lucky and never really ran into an issue balancing both school and lacrosse.
Q: Describe a typical day in your life as a student lacrosse player.
Lifts/runs would start around 7 a.m. Those would typically last an hour or so. We would get a 15-20 min break in between lift and practice to grab a snack, wrap ankles, stretch, or whatever we needed. Practice would start around 8:30-9 am and would go until 11-12pm. Since I went to school for so many years, my body started to hurt more and more, so after practice, I would go into the training room to ice or do treatment. I would then either shower at the AC or run back home to shower and eat before heading to my afternoon classes. Typically, I would schedule classes between 2-7 p.m. to allow me to have time after practice and then some more time once I got home to do homework, eat dinner, or socialize. That was pretty much my schedule every year.
Q: If any, what aspects of lacrosse do you still apply to your current life?
I have always been into health and fitness. I definitely don't spend time doing crazy long workouts like I once did in college, but I like to keep my body and mind as healthy as possible in order to live a happy life! I also have carried my competitive edge with me, but I've pretty much always had that and am always striving to be the best I can be, especially in the workforce. Work ethic and perseverance have also been a big part in my current life, and I plan to take that with me forever.
Q: What advice do you have for current student-athletes who are preparing for life after sport?
- Start Early! I pretty much put off looking for a job or even thinking about what I wanted to do until the second semester of my 6th year. I definitely was lucky enough to have more time than usual to think about it, but I should've started earlier. Even just browsing topics that interest you or, setting up your LinkedIn/working on a resume. It all helps!
- Network! Go to career fairs, talk to people who currently have jobs, and build your professional network. You never know who you might meet and what they can do for you as you grow into a career.
- Prepare Mentally! This is a big one for me. I absolutely dreaded leaving college. I pushed off looking for a job as long as I could. I ended up getting an extremely random, entry-level job that I didn't care about. I was not prepared to enter the real world, and I was convinced it just wasn't for me. But once I stopped feeling sorry for myself and realized that the real work isn't so bad, I discovered my current job, and I could not be happier!
- Learn Excel! This is a funny one to me because I never knew how much I would need this. It will make your life so much easier if you just learn a few tips and tricks. EVERYONE in the workforce uses it, I swear.
- Stay Positive! This was a last but certainly not least tip. Approaching life after sports with a positive attitude will get you farther than you think. Sometimes, companies higher those who have good attitudes just to boost workplace morale. Not many people are able to stay positive in certain situations all the time, but if you are consistent in having a good attitude, great things will come!
For more information about the Four-Year Student-Athlete Development Program Aztecs Going Pro or contact Danielle Kelly, Senior Associate Athletic Director of Student-Athlete Support Services, at dmkelly@sdsu.edu.