UMASS Men's Soccer Alumni Mentoring Night April 8, 2022
Table of Contents 01
A Letter From Shawn Green '02
02
Alumni Biograpahies
03
Alumni Greeting and Perspective
04-07
Alumni Perspectives
Welcome to Alumni Mentoring Night Dear Fellow Minutemen, On behalf of our assembled alumni mentors, thank you all very much for sharing your time and attention with us tonight, and for allowing us to share our perspective with you. We are all so proud to support you on the field, and we are truly honored to be with you here to hopefully help each and every one of you along in your path to personal success. It is our hope that by passing along the lessons learned throughout our own respective journeys, you will find a more positive way forward on your road ahead. Not too long ago, each of us sat where you are sitting today. Many of us had the same hopes and dreams that you have, and most of us had the same questions that you do. This is our chance to share something with you that we wish someone had shared with us while we were at UMass Amherst, in hopes that our advice and perspective makes a positive difference in your lives and what is to come next. Similar to the game of soccer, our event will last for approximately 90 minutes...and also similar to the game of soccer, it’s not just about passing those ninety minutes - it’s about what happens in those ninety minutes, and what we are all willing to contribute that makes each minute count. Together, we all have a role to play in making this event a success, so let’s all make a collective commitment to participate fully, and to make the most of this opportunity. Here’s to looking forward to a positive, productive and impactful evening, and to a bright future for us all. Many thanks, and as always...GO UMASS!
Ted Priestly ‘94 pn
Alumni Biographies Kalekeni Banda Year of Graduation: 1975 Major: Physical Education Current Title(s): Founder/CEO, Banda Bola Sports Foundation, Inc. Current Industry: Nonprofit Past Positions: Soccer/Track & Field Head Coach (UMass Women's Soccer/Track & Field; Amherst College Soccer/Track & Field; Wisconsin Soccer; UAlbany Soccer) Malawi National Olympic Coach
Bryan O’Quinn Year of Graduation: 2002 Major: Sport Management Minor: Business Additional Education: Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) Current Title (s): Director of Clinical Management Current Industry: Insurance Past Positions: Assistant Coach Utica City Futbol Club
Matthew Byam-Mooney Year of Graduation: 2018 Major: Operations & Information Management Additional Education: Working on an MBA in Supply Chain Management Current Title: Supply Chain Analyst, Distribution @ Inspire Brands Current Industry: QSR - Food&Bev
Matt Keys (Master of Ceremony) Year of Graduation: 2015 Major: Sports Management Minor: Psychology Additional Education: MBA in Business Administration from Franklin Pierce - 2017 Current Title: Sr. Sales Director, NetSuite Oracle Current Industry: Software/Technology
Tiago Moreira Year of Graduation: 2002 Major: BDIC - Management and Marketing Current Title: Business Manager Current Industry: Banking
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Meet our Alumni Mentors Kalekeni Banda '75
Bryan O'Quinn '02
Matthew Byam-Mooney '18
Tiago Moreira '02
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Questions for the Alumni... What do you wish you had known as a firstyear student at UMass? KB: I had a unique experience of being an international student athlete from Malawi, Africa. My path to UMass was predetermined by Malawi Government. I was fortunate enough to be selected by Malawi Government to attend UMass on a government granted scholarship. MBM: Don't take an 8am if you don't have to, and how important getting into some type of daily routine to help keep organized. Also, I wish I'd understood the importance of getting ahead on searching for potential summer jobs/internships to figure out what you do and don't like about working earlier in the process. TM: The importance of a healthy diet
BOQ: Don’t assume that you are important just because you are a D1 athlete. Your passion and skill to get you to this point is commendable and outstanding; however my advice would be to not let athletics alone define you. Use the diversity in this great University to get to know new people that can enlighten your life. Learn how to connect with people outside of athletics, ask them about their life and experiences, and you will be amazed at how your confidence and interpersonal skills will help you enrich your life!
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Questions for the Alumni... What strategies helped you to succeed as a student-athlete?
KB: I was a two sport athlete for soccer and track & field (both indoor and outdoor track). Managing my time for academics and athletics was my priority. My government sent me to UMass for purpose and I was focussed on doing the work on and off the field. I had plenty of barriers to overcome as a foreign student. I had to do extra work to learn the American way of life. Attending classes was s a must not a choice. I enjoyed going to practice to learn more about coaching. TM: Time management - still helps me with aspects today
BOQ: The number one thing that helped me to succeed in my coursework was to work hard to get 2 weeks ahead of all of my syllabus. Staying ahead of all my assignments assisted me in 2 ways. First, it allowed me to read or study some of the material before it was presented in lecture. Thus if I had questions or concerns I could ask them during class versus being left without assistance. Secondly, by staying ahead, if anything happened (i.e. away travel, sickness, etc) I never felt any panic or procrastination anxiety. MBM: Keeping disciplined in each aspect of student-athlete life, and picking the right moments to incorporate a social life into the main reasons you're in college (Academics & Soccer). Especially in the summer, holding myself accountable and keeping a standard helped to make sure I was ready to go in the fall. pn
Questions for the Alumni... If you could go back and change anything, what would you change?
KB: I had great experience on and off the soccer field. MBM: I would have taken more of an interest into the many free resources available such as career advising, and taken a deeper dive into the different clubs to get a sense of what I was interested in, earlier. TM: Took better care of my body, and eating habits OQ: You mean outside of wearing nothing but Boyden Grey’s (UMASS sweatpants) and team gear? I wish I did more to stay in touch with the needs of the business world by participating in internships, reading journal articles, etc. This would have guided me to search out coursework that pertained to things like big data/SQL, Excel, Coding, and six sigma mathematics that would have helped me early on in my professional business career.
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Questions for the Alumni... BOQ: The first thing that jumps out to me is hard work. You will be amazed at how many people in the workforce do not push themselves to be great. Your ability to juggle athletics and academics is a skill that many new hires do not possess. Use this competency to stay ahead of your peers and to outwork them in your own development. I also believe it is important to find a mentor, and work with them to better yourself. For example, you didn’t learn how to play soccer without a coach or a role model. Many times we as players like to blame others for why we don’t get the things we want, like playing time. In the workforce it is the same way, you can lose out on a promotion, you can be left off a project team. If you blame everyone else you will never be great. So, find someone you would like to learn from and you can ask to give you real feedback. If you don’t keep working on your development, you will be left behind!
What advice would you give to our graduating seniors as they embark on the next steps of life? KB: Be good people and treat others with respect as you would like to be treated. Your coaches and teammates are your best network going forward in life. MBM: Take your time with the transition, keep in touch with your teammates, and try to find as many hobbies as you can. TM: Utilize the network, and time management skills you have built/learned over the last 4 years and apply in your new work field. Establish early right balance between staying active, and work life balance. Keep your priorities straight! Utilize your competitive advantage to your work-force favor!
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Coach Kalekeni Banda '75 Hall of Fame Inductee (1999)
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Notes
Thank You to our Mentors