Iowa State University Athletics
10.30.2026 | Athletics
AMES, Iowa - Iowa State athletics hosted its annual "Authentic Conversations" event on Monday, October 12. The event was held in the Jacobsen Building and is a networking event specifically for Iowa State student-athletes that are looking to build professional connections with local employers. A total of 40 different companies were in attendance to network with our very own Iowa State student-athletes.
Athletes across sports such as football, men's and women's basketball, swimming, wrestling, track and field and more were in attendance to network with companies that specialize in engineering, finance, kinesiology, insurance management and many more.
One of the athletes in attendance, Grace Marek, is a junior on the swim and dive team at Iowa State, and explained what benefit the event provided.
"I was able to talk to a former ISU swimmer," Marek said."Â Having that common connection is super helpful when networking."
Marek explained that student-athletes usually have very demanding schedules, so having an event like this is very beneficial.
Another athlete that spent time networking was CJ Carter, who is a senior on the men's wrestling team. He explained how talking to people is something that helps him build his networking skills, and how events like this provide good practice.
"Having multiple businesses in person is helpful to connect with people that can be initially hard to reach," Carter said. "It can be difficult for athletes to be able to network and talk, so it's events like this that help demonstrate my confidence with my communication skills".
One of the companies at the event was the Principal Financial Group that specializes in investment management. They talked about how many qualities they look for in an employer and typically found in student-athletes, like people with drive, works with a team well and helps create a positive culture. Tommy Tyynismaa, a junior on the track team who is majoring in finance, was able to create a relationship with their company.
Another company in attendance was Holmes Murphy, which specialize in commercial insurance. They explained how they have many former student-athletes currently on staff, including some former Iowa State student-athletes. Holmes Murphy likes that these athletes have qualities like coachability, determination and a team-first mindset.
The athletics department frequently has networking events, meetings to inform athletes about the resources they have access to, and various volunteer opportunities in order for student-athletes to make the most of their resources they have while at Iowa State.
