William Jewell College provides its student-athletes with the unique opportunity to pursue multiple activities and experiences outside of every day classes and their particular sport. Two of these opportunities include off-campus internships through the career-mentor program and the Journey Grant. The career-mentor program matches current Jewell students with professionals in their desired field to help find internship opportunities, while the Journey Grant offers a minimum of $2,000 to each student to put towards a research project, study-abroad experience,, community service project, or other opportunity to enhance their individual educational experience.
 
One student-athlete who has taken full advantage of these opportunities is senior track and field athlete Gretchen Mayes. After an uncertain beginning, Mayes found her calling in the academic area of accounting after taking a class with Professor Chris McCullick. "He was the reason, after taking his accounting class, why I changed my major. Since then he has been nothing but helpful with sending opportunities, reaching out to others for internships and even talking about my next steps to gain an A on a test."
 
The next big test for the Lathrop, Mo. native is the Certified Public Accountant Exam (CPA) which is where the Journey Grant became an option for Mayes. Although aware of the Journey Grant's existence, she did not consider using the funds available to her until after a faculty member suggested it. "Once I chose my major I started to look at the next steps that I needed for my field. One of those steps was taking the CPA exam. I looked through the test prep material and found that it was extremely expensive. While talking with my advisor, he suggested that I use my Journey Grant for it. So with his help and guidance I found a way to apply and gain the funding for my CPA exam prep" she said.
 
While the CPA exam is still on the mind of this Jewell senior, one thing that is not, is where and what she will be doing following graduation, as she has already been offered and accepted a full-time job with Dairy Farmers of America. While with DFA as an intern, Mayes worked primarily in month end reconciliations, balance rollovers, and matching freight loads but says the best part of experience was the people she met and connections she made. " As an intern group we had to organize fundraising for DFAs charity of DFA Cares. We had to creatively think of ideas to understand and address the wants of the employees to gain the greatest amount of money. I learned a lot of accounting skills for real world programs but also how to work as a group and accomplish tasks with a short deadline." Mayes believes her William Jewell education has helped to spawn her ability to accomplish these tasks and encouraged her to beyond her comfort zone. "It is not the name William Jewell College on my degree that got my job but using the community and networking at Jewell to connect with those around me in an area I am interested in. I think my time at Jewell has taught me the power of getting to know the people around you and working towards your goals."
 
While pursuing her academic and career goals, Mayes is also a track and field star, having set six school records since stepping on campus. She is also involved in Alpha Gamma Delta, Jewell Communication and Theatre Society, Biz Today Writer, Delta Mu Delta, and serves as a Cardinal Host, and 4-H volunteer. She accomplishes all of this while spending her her spare time over the past three years completely refurbishing a 110 year old house from top to bottom. "We (Mayes and fiance Jake) have gutted it completely down to the studs, reinsulated it, redid the plumbing, and the electricity. It's a lot of hard work but it teaches you a lot of good skills to have in life."
 
As a William Jewell student-athlete, Mayes has learned a valuable lesson that makes all of these experiences possible, understanding time commitments, especially as a student-athlete. "Athletics teaches you all of these great life lessons. I have to make this commitment because it's my job. I have to show up on time. I have to be ready. I have to be prepared. Coming to Jewell has really taught me what's important, what's not important, and what can wait. It's all about figuring out what's important to you and steering your path in that direction."
 
Although track and field along with her other on and off campus activities are important, Mayes relishes in the opportunity to be a student first and foremost, thanks to a group of faculty who go out of their way to ensure their student-athletes are prepared for what is coming after they walk across the stage at commencement. Mayes believes the lessons she has learned and the connections she has made over the past four years will benefit her for many years to come. "I would never have gotten my internship, never gotten my job without all my different advisors or the career-mentor program. Jewell is a place where it's not about the degree you get, it's about the connections you make."



The Jewll Journey series showcases the activities and accomplishments of Jewell student-athletes outside of classes and athletics.