Kogod's SOAR program connects student-athletes with four- to six-week professional projects, career coaching, and AU alumni and business partners—helping them gain experience around academic and athletic commitments.

For college athletes, finding time for an internship can be harder than finding the motivation. Practices, competition, travel, and preseason can limit opportunities built around a traditional workweek or full summer.

“Hard work and determination aren’t an issue,” says Carson McDonald, an American University men’s basketball player and Kogod student. “It’s a lack of student-athlete-friendly schedules.”

The Kogod School of Business Career Development office developed SOAR to address that challenge.

What Is Kogod’s SOAR Program?

SOAR stands for Student-Athlete Opportunities for Advancement & Readiness. The Career Development program connects Kogod student-athletes with short-term professional projects through AU alumni and business partners.

Its micro-internship model complements traditional internships, giving students another way to explore an industry and apply their skills to real business problems.

Participants also complete the CliftonStrengths assessment and coaching analysis to better understand their strengths. Career coaching helps them communicate those strengths and their project experience on resumes and in interviews.

How Does SOAR Fit Around Athletic Schedules?

SOAR’s four- to six-week projects create opportunities during windows that may be too short for a traditional internship, including the summer weeks before preseason.

For Nariah Goldman, a Kogod Business Analytics and AI major and member of AU’s women’s soccer team, that timing made a difference.

“My summers always end around the last two weeks of July,” Goldman says. “A traditional internship can be difficult for me to commit to because I know I have to be back at school for preseason well before most typical summer internships finish.”

Through SOAR, Goldman completed a micro-internship at Marriott before returning to campus.

The scheduling challenge extends into the academic year. Zoe Clark, a Kogod Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence major on AU’s track and field team, practices from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and lifts twice a week. Her classes generally fit before or after practice.

“Because my schedule is so structured, it pretty much rules out the possibility of having a typical part-time job or internship during the school year,” Clark says.

What Does a SOAR Micro-Internship Involve?

A SOAR micro-internship gives students a defined business project and opportunities to learn from professionals. At Marriott, Goldman explored supply chain and procurement, examining challenges involved in obtaining computer chips for the company’s hotels.

The assignment introduced her to a business function she had not previously considered—and showed her how purchasing decisions can affect hotel operations.

“I learned a lot about what goes into procurement and how one delay or mistake can drastically change timelines, which is especially important in the hospitality industry where operations directly impact the customer experience,” Goldman says.

She also conducted daily interviews with professionals who worked with her supervisor. Those conversations helped her understand procurement roles and how teams manage relationships with suppliers, contracts, and other stakeholders.

What Do Student-Athletes Gain From SOAR?

SOAR participants gain project experience they can discuss with employers, professional connections, and a clearer understanding of potential career paths. They also practice applying skills developed through athletics, such as teamwork, discipline, and time management, in a business setting.

For Goldman, the Marriott project sparked an interest in procurement.

“This experience opened up a new career pathway that I am very interested in pursuing and learning more about,” she says. “Before this summer, I didn't know much about procurement, but I now know how essential it is from an operational perspective.”

The relationships she built provided a way to keep exploring that interest after the project ended.

“I made multiple professional connections that I can continue to learn from and reach out to as I grow in my career,” Goldman says.

She returned for soccer preseason with a completed business project, contacts in a new field, and a career direction to investigate.