VCU Ram Report

S T A F F S P O T L I G H T S T U D E N T - A T H L E T E D E V E L O P M E N T C O O R D I N A T O R Ma Kirkpatrick joined VCU in October of 2014 as Student-Athlete Development Coordinator. A former VCU Men's Soccer player, Kirk- patrick previously worked with the Richmond Strikers, where he headed up the that club's youth development programs. An ac ve presence in the Richmond community for the past 14 years, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology from VCU in 2000. LIGHTNING ROUND MATT KIRKPATRICK RR: What's your favorite part about being back on VCU's campus? MK: The energy on campus is great. I do feel like there are a lot of similari es from when I was a student-athlete, but it just seems to have grown and it just seems bigger and be er. It seems to have a greater purpose or even a bigger atmosphere. It just seems to have improved on so many levels. RR: What does the Student-Athlete Develop- ment Coordinator do? MK: The three main branches of student- athlete development are: career devel- opment, community engagement and service, and the Student-Athlete Advisory Commi ee (SAAC). The biggest thing in my job is student-athlete focus. Everything is geared around the student-ath- letes and ge ng our students to collaborate with other organiza ons and groups on campus, as well as connec ng the student-athletes with the com- munity and campus groups. I'm trying to educate the student-athletes on the importance of commu- nity service, that there's so much right here, and they don't have to go far to make an impact. RR: What drew you to this line of work? MK: Student-athletes. I've been one and through this whole process. I am aware not only what it is to be a student-athlete, but what they need and what they're missing. When I was a student-athlete there was none of this. It was around, but it was never instructed to me as a captain on the soccer team. I lived it, and I rec- ognize there's a huge opportunity in these areas. There are a lot of student-athletes that graduate, and they don't know how to network, write a resume or go about looking for a job, so there's a huge opportunity. Working with student-athletes is fun. I can see myself in some of these kids, es- pecially the interna onal students who come and maybe don't have as much parental guidance as some of the local kids. RR: What's been your immediate focus? MK: Ge ng SAAC re-energized and re- organized. I think I've brought energy to the posi on. Typically in this posi on, it's someone who's younger, so I think I bring a lot of experience from a professional point of view, but also from a life experience and as a former student-athlete. I think I have high credibility with student-athletes because I've been there. RR: What is a typical day for you? MK: Planning volunteer opportuni es and establishing rela onships in the com- munity that will not only benefit our student-ath- letes but these organiza ons as well. There is a lot of planning involved and mee ngs to plan things like workshops on campus. It's a lot of planning, organizing and establishing rela onships. RR: What is your favorite part of the job? MK: Helping student-athletes be the best they can be. It sounds cliché, but just helping them with opportuni es. It's helping them while they're here but the big goal is that when they leave here they have the skills and the ampli- tude to be successful in whatever they choose to do. While they're here, it's providing them a foun- da on with experiences and skills that they can use a er VCU. Preparing them for the real world is a big part of what I'm trying to do. RR: How do you like to spend your me outside of VCU? MK: With my wife and kids. My wife and I love the restaurants in Richmond. Hanging and doing stuff with the kids. We have a busy life, so it's a balancing act. We love to travel too, but we don't get to do it as much as we used to. Family: Wife, Adrienne; Daughters, Quinn (13) and Clemen ne (5); Sons, Charlie (11) and Brodie (8) Favorite Place to eat in Rich- mond? Momma Zu's (He proposed to his wife there). Favorite Ram: My 8-year-old Brodie would say Mo Alie-Cox, but I would have to go for Men's Soccer legends Anthony Sherwood and Kwaku Adu-Gyamfi. I met them both on my recrui ng trip to VCU and both of them became coaching colleagues at the Richmond Strikers and friends. Favorite memory in a VCU uniform: Scoring a last minute equalizer at Richmond to take it into OT, and then assis ng on a goal to Ricardo Capilla to win (2-1). Fun Fact about yourself: Won a na onal championship at Yavapai Junior College before I came to VCU and was an NSCAA All-American. I was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 2009.

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