The Student Manager

What goes through the mind of an athlete being recruited out of high school?  What's the process?  Does travel ball lead to a scholarship?  Download and listen to Newport Harbor HS '21 Eliana Gottlieb share her story to the Pacific NW and what it's like to be a student-athlete at Oregon State University.  Will the Beavers win the Pac-12 Conference in women's softball and return to Omaha for the Wo...

Is Utah football making this university a popular destination outside the state of Utah?  We travel to the '23 Rose Bowl game in Pasadena with Kai Matsunami as his Utes make their 2nd consecutive appearance in the Rose Bowl.  Kai shares his experience and discusses what he likes and what he dislikes about the campus and Salt Lake City.  If you enjoy the outdoors you want to listen and find out wha...

Will the Guachos win the Big West Conference for Women's Volleyball?  Download and listen to Mater Dei '19 Kristina Pepek share what it's like to be a student-athlete at UCSB.  The senior Gaucho talks about her experience the past four years on this beautiful campus.  She talks about how the Mater Dei volleyball program prepared her for the collegiate level.  Also, Kristina shares how she rushed a...

Download and listen to #16 BYU's current leading reception leader for this season Kody Epps.  This Mater Dei '20 alum shares real, raw stories and experiences from Provo, Utah.  He tells what he likes and dislikes about BYU.  He discusses what it's like being from Southern California and how he has fit in this faith based college in Utah.  He shares what he learned from legendary high school footb...

Do you know where Appalachian State is?  Have you heard of the Mountaineers?  This Sun Belt Conference college previously known for one of college football's greatest upsets with a 34-32 victory over Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2002.  The Mountaineers blocked a game-winning field goal attempt from Michigan at the end of regulation.    Download and listen to former Mountaineer graduate Adam Witten rev...

@fongernews is rolling out The Monday Morning Manager!  The episodes are short (less than 10 minutes) and highlight a college that played on Saturday, but more importantly that I have visited and can give you some insight to help during the college search and admission process.   The Ohio State University is located in Columbus, Ohio.  My son and I visited C-Bus over the weekend and watched #3 Buc...

Former Student Manager #93 guest and University of Texas Alum Lauren Griffen joins this week's mini-episode of the Hiring Manager podcast.  This recent Longhorn alum is a go-getter and discusses how her internship experiences during college helped secure her first sales position following graduation.  Lauren is a sales rep for CrowdStrike, a leader in global cybersecurity, and continues to live in...

Download and listen to Mater Dei '21 Julia Noya share her first year as a Ole Miss Rebel!  She tells "ALL" - what she likes and what she dislikes about Ole Miss (University of Mississippi).  This is a must listen too if you are considering attending college in the South.   Julia talks about sorority rush, game day and the social scene.  Is Ole Miss easy or hard to get into?  Is it too Southern for...

Back by popular demand...my good friend, John Todd, joins The Hiring Manager Mini-Episode #7.  "JT" is a successful leader with over 30 years of sales and leadership experience.  John started his sales career in the payroll industry with myself and has continued to thrive in this industry.  He was successful as the Western Region VP Sales with BenefitMall and Advantage Payroll.  Today, John is VP...

Download and listen to Mater Dei '20 Nicole Kinkaid share her first two years as a Horned Frog!  She tells "ALL" - what she likes and what she dislikes about TCU (Texas Christian University).  This is a must listen too if you are considering attending college in Texas.   Nicole talks about sorority rush, game day and the social scene.  Why does TCU get the stigma of being Newport Beach in Ft. Wort...

Jackie Westland UW '14 and Jared Westland USC '14 discuss what they did in college to prepare them for internships and jobs during and after college.  This young Costa Mesa couple give insights to what is important in a career search such as follow-up and the personal touch.  They both share the #1 recommendation to any college student is to network.  Download and listen!

First-Class cadet and rising senior at Air Force Academy, Sophia Chiaramonte, shares her experience through her first three years in Colorado Springs.  She talks about her high school academics and if not for track and field, she wouldn't have been admitted into USAFA.  Sophia discusses her struggles and challenges during her first few years, including the honor code, mental health and thoughts of...

Download and listen to Newport Harbor '21 Ava Matsunami share her freshman experience from Bloomington, Indiana.  She tells "ALL" - - what she likes and what she dislikes about Indiana University.  This is a must listen too if you are considering this B1G university.  Ava talks about the challenges of her first semester and how she persevered through the second semester.  B-Town is home for this S...

Back by popular demand, we are running it back with Miguel De Jesus (MDJ) who is a CPC (Certified Professional Coach) Executive Coach, and Sales Marketing Consultant.  Miguel is highly accomplished, results-oriented C-Level leader with more than 30+ years of experience leading business management, global sales/marketing, for growth oriented companies and CEOs, with two Fortune 500 companies.  We j...

Download and listen to how Brittany Welsh USC '19 graduated and found her first sales position out of college after a two year stint playing professional volleyball while earning her Masters at the same time.  It wasn't easy!  This student-athlete graduated with a communications degree before heading abroad to Durham University in England.  Brittany talks about preparing for her first interview an...

Download and listen to one of the best in the industry, Liz Williams, of Paylocity.  This successful sales leader has over 25 years of experience in sales and leadership.  Currently, she is the Regional Vice President of Sales in the Pacific Northwest for Paylocity.  I've known Liz since the start of our payroll sales career in the 90s.  She is known for her relentless work ethic as a leader and h...

My good friend, John Todd, joins The Hiring Manager Mini-Episode #2.  "JT" is a successful leader with over 30 years of sales and leadership experience.  John started his sales career in the payroll industry with myself and has continued to thrive in this industry.  He was successful as the Western Region VP Sales with BenefitMall and Advantage Payroll.  Today, John is VP Sales with Asure Software...

Download and listen to how two students and their families leveraged the May 1st College Deadline the right way.  They didn't panic and feel pressure to select a college early on in the process.  Class of '22 Mater Dei Seniors Lauren Haney and Jenny Cullen are joined with their parents to discuss how visiting colleges the last 60 days help make them decide on the University of Wisconsin.  Why are...

Download and listen to University of Iowa's senior students Luke Slavens and Bri Mensen.  Both of these students also served at basketball student managers for the Iowa men's and women's basketball teams.  This past March both teams won the Big 10 Tournament Championship during the same year for the 2nd time ever.  Find out what they like and what they don't like about the university.  How did the...

The inaugural mini-episode of The Hiring Manager is OUT!  My mentor who approved the hiring of @fongernews out of college in 1993 and then who hired me under his leadership in 2000 is the first guest.  Miguel De Jesus (MDJ) is a CPC (Certified Professional Coach) Executive Coach, and Sales Marketing Consultant.  Miguel is highly accomplished, results-oriented C-Level leader with more than 30+ year...

Originally going "solo" on today's episode, however, impromptu I have my #1 fan and listener join as I give my take on the upcoming May 1st College Deadline.  We revisit the college road trips we took in high school as I went through the search and admission process.  Also, you don't want to miss Mommy May helping me make a big announcement!  Yes, coming very soon on The Student Manager podcast wi...

Download and listen former student manager from the University of Minnesota, Nick Pederson, who is now the graduate assistant for the men's basketball team.  Nick shares his experience how he didn't get into his dream college, University of Minnesota, after high school.  His story on perseverance and never giving up on his dream school is a must listen to.  Nick also shares the positives and negat...

Download and listen to three student managers from the University of Oregon women's basketball team.  Mater Dei alum '20 Anna Bradley joins our March Madness episode with her fellow senior manager Josie Williamson and sophomore manager Dawson Prickel.  How did Anna adjust to life in the Pacific Northwest versus the other two who are from Oregon.  The three discuss what they like and what they don'...

Download and listen to Ohio State men's basketball senior student-manager, Michael Adamo, share his experience and stories at Ohio State.  Michael is the 3rd guest from this amazing campus and shares how he has balanced academics, social life and being part of a B1G 10 basketball team.  Also, Michael discusses his future and "The Road to Law School".  If you are thinking about pursuing law school...

Download and listen to former men's basketball student-manager, Ben Drewall, share his experience and stories at the University of Houston.  This university has been ranked among the best in the United States in a number of categories, including "Top Public Schools" and "Best Value Schools."  Ben was home schooled in Austin, Texas where he played for a private high school basketball academy before...