INDIANAPOLIS – Grinnell College Fitness Center/Strength and Conditioning Coordinator and assistant football coach Jason Martinez served as a facilitator for the 2014 NCAA Career in Sports Forum recently.

As a facilitator, Martinez was assigned with a partner to lead a group of 30 student-athletes from all three divisions in the exposure and introduction to how their values intersected with the opportunities for careers in collegiate athletics.

They learned how behavioral styles impacted individual effectiveness, constructed plans to enhance their own development and growth, gained an accurate view of the roles of intercollegiate coaches or athletic administrators, and lastly benefitted from the opportunity to network with key decision makers on campus and at the NCAA National Office.

During the forum, participants heard from keynote speakers and panelists – including former University of Tennessee women's athletics director emeritus Joan Cronan, NCAA President Dr. Mark Emmert, NCAA Executive Vice President for Championships and Alliances Mark Lewis and several other prominent individuals within the realm of collegiate athletics– and learned best practices for gaining employment and gathering a better understanding of what the expected of them as they start their professional careers.

"This was an amazing experience that gave me the opportunity to give back to athletes and reinforce the reasons why I have chosen to be a professional in the world of intercollegiate athletics," said Martinez. "The amount of pride and personal satisfaction that I received from participating in this event was amazing! Not only was I able to help shape and guide the minds of so many athletes from around the country, I gained so much personal growth as an individual from this forum.  It was also amazing to represent Grinnell College alongside recent graduate Abby Jaeger!"