Editor's Note: Katie Nasenbenny, a senior on the University of Iowa women’s soccer team, was one of 200 NCAA student-athletes across all divisions to attend the NCAA Career in Sports Forum this past summer. The event was held at the NCAA Headquarters in Indianapolis and is considered one of the most prominent, invitation-only events that a current NCAA student-athlete can attend.

Nasenbenny, a native of La Grange, Illinois, graduated with degrees in psychology and communications studies in December 2013. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in leisure studies with a recreation and sports business track.

Nasenbenny shared her incredible experience at the NCAA Career in Sports Forum with Iowa Now.

Day 1: June 5

I woke up at 4:20 a.m. to catch my 6:30 a.m. flight from Cedar Rapids to Chicago. As a Chicago kid, I’m used to arriving to the airport a few hours before the flight. It took me just 17 minutes to drive from Iowa City to Cedar Rapids and probably three minutes to get through security to my gate.

In Chicago, I boarded my flight to Indianapolis and saw four kids wearing Arkansas Razorback gear. We nervously chatted, unsure of what the forum was to bring—I figured if most of the kids at this event were like the women’s golfer, women’s basketball player, and two football players from Arkansas, I was going to have a pretty good time.

When we arrived in Indianapolis, probably 25 other student-athletes from around the country were waiting at the baggage claim. On the bus to our hotel, I sat next to Liz, a basketball player from Youngstown State University. By this time I knew I was going to have a great time—all the people I had spoken with were interesting, engaging, and just plain cool.

I met more and more people once we arrived in the Christine Grant Ballroom (named for the University of Iowa legend) and I realized we had four things in common: We played sports, we wanted to work in sports, we were really tired, and we were really hungry. Luckily for us, the food was amazing. There was no time to be tired, because we would soon be learning and having fun at every group session, auditorium session, meal, and throughout any downtime we had together.

After an introductory session, all 200 of us split up into our small groups of about 30 people. I happened to be placed in the best group of them all, #teampurple. Our facilitators, Stevie Baker-Watson (athletic director at Depauw) and Aric Henderson (tight ends coach at Angelo St. University) were awesome. They created an atmosphere where all of us felt comfortable and confident.

In the first small group session, we talked about the transferrable skills that cross over from athletics to the real world: perseverance, time-management, adaptability, and self-discipline.

By dinner, I’d put about 45 faces to names and schools, and was fast meeting more and more—the wrestlers from Nebraska and Pitt, the volleyball player from Notre Dame, the basketball player from Lewis and Clark College, and the football player from Gustavus Adolphus College.

The name of the Sports Forum game is networking, and I was trying my hardest to play by the rules. When we left the Hall of Fame, I was excited for what the next day would bring.

Day 2: June 6

Day two started off with a bang—another great meal. For our first color team session, we discussed the DISC personality assessment we completed before our arrival. I was classified as an IS, a combination of the Influence and Steadiness styles, and after reading the attributes of these styles, I couldn’t have agreed more.

We then transitioned to a seminar on NCAA office careers, where Mark Lewis, NCAA executive vice president for championships and alliances, explained the six branches of the NCAA and their responsibilities. At a networking lunch, NCAA staff members joined our tables and answered all the questions we could muster.

Next came one of the coolest portions of the entire four days—a student-athlete huddle with NCAA President Mark Emmert. He spoke a bit about the NCAA, and then fielded any question we could think of. The NCAA is one-of-a-kind. No other nation has a amateur sport system as established as the NCAA, but many countries, and the athletes in those countries, want one.

We headed back to the ballroom for a panel of athletic directors and commissioners, where we picked up some great knowledge about what it’s like to work in athletic administration, or to serve as commissioner of a conference.

Day 3: June 7

We started with a presentation from Curtis Hollomon where we learned about all the organizations affiliated with the NCAA that may guide us towards potential careers. We then transitioned to one of the most practical sessions of them all— resume building.

Mine needed some work. I had a lot of things on my resume that I just listed rather than explained. Some of my colleagues had some really slick resumes. They were good to see and gave me new ideas for my own.

From there, we transitioned to a panel on alternative careers in sports where we met with broadcaster Anthony Calhoun, director of NCAA special projects Julie Arnold, and communications director for the Chicago White Sox, Nicole Saunches. Later than day I spoke with Nicole. Both of us are Illinois natives, both have lived in Iowa City, and both of us are Big Ten graduates. She also was a competitive swimmer and worked at the Bejing and Vancouver Olympics, and I live with swimmers, including one from Canada who participated in the Bejing Olympics!

After lunch, we listened to a social media presentation from Kayci Woodley, an Iowa State graduate and recipient of a NCAA post-graduate internship. She showed us just how easy it is to access our personal Facebook and Twitter pages with a slideshow of embarrassing photos and Twitter posts. But she also showed how important it is to stay connected on social media, which is why I just activated a Twitter account (still can’t believe it).

Following Kayci was the First 10 Years Panel, a group of three former student-athletes who graduated less than a decade ago discussing their lives as school administrators or coaches. It was great to see young people, so closely removed from what I am doing now, having so much success.

Last Day: June 8

The last day was the best day. We were lucky to get the chance to listen to a living legend in Joan Cronan, women’s athletic director emerita and adviser to the chancellor at the University of Tennessee.

She is an amazing woman, and I was totally captivated by her speech. She had one quote that will stick with me forever: “Never get too busy making a living, that you forget to make a life.”

Until this forum, the only things I worried about were playing soccer, getting good grades, and getting on the fast track to becoming an FBS athletic director. But this woman has done it all, and she made sure to have a life while she did it. I know I will keep Joan’s words close to me. I feel caught in the tunnel at times, focused on the future and not living for the now.

We had our final group session, where we looked over a project each of us had completed prior to the forum—strength and weakness assessment interviews with five different people from five different areas of our lives. It was cool to see how nearly everyone in the room had people identify things that were both their strengths and weaknesses. I guess it’s that similar mentality of a student-athlete.

I arrived at the Sports Forum a bit weary. Was this going to be just another event where I was one of the few people ready to offer an opinion or point of view? Where people engaged in half-hearted discussion? Where it is cool to watch the clock, and text under the table?

Thankfully, every one of us student-athletes there was engaged. People from all different backgrounds came together to learn and be the best they could be. For our final team sessions each night, the Purple team left about 30 minutes after the scheduled end—and no one cared. That’s how genuinely engaged we were.

I know that I’ll stay in touch with many of the people I had the pleasure of meeting. I’m so happy to have had the opportunity, and I can’t imagine letting it go to waste.