COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Saint John's University junior Kyle McKinney (Nassau, Bahamas/St. Augustine's) is one of the nearly 400 NCAA student-athletes participating virtually at the 2020 NCAA Career in Sports Forum, beginning today through Friday (May 27-29).

The three-day forum prepares junior and senior student-athletes for a career after graduation. The forum helps student-athletes learn more about themselves as leaders by exposing them to projects that require critical thinking, as well as practical experiences that will strengthen their personal and professional skills and competencies. 

Through their participation, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of roles within the athletics industry and how their personal and professional interests align with potential career paths.

An integrative science major with a 3.63 GPA, McKinney earned Academic All-MIAC honors last spring. He just missed All-MIAC honors (top three individually) by placing fourth in the javelin at the 2019 MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

McKinney attended the 2020 NCAA Convention, with athletic director Bob Alpers and assistant athletic director Nicci Malecha, as a member of the Division-III only, NCAA Student Immersion Program.

Forum sessions include how student-athletes can become more aware of their inner strengths, how to develop a career plan, practical approaches to the job search, how to navigate as a young professional in the athletics industry, the role of an athletics administrator and head coach and other motivational and key messaging from speakers. The student-athletes will have opportunities to engage in breakout sessions where they will engage in guided discussions to further curriculum understanding and build community with other student-athletes. A student-athlete task force also was created to identify and develop specific sessions where student-athletes expressed particular interest.

The diverse lineup of student-athletes represents colleges and universities from all three divisions, numerous academic majors and many sports. The forum, typically held at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis for close to 200 student-athletes, was expanded this year to provide more guidance and education, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Forum speakers include directors of athletics, representatives from athletics academic services, athletic conference offices, head coaches and officials in business and professional sports.