M.K. Lever, a former Division 1 athlete and PhD candidate at UT Austin, combines her personal experiences as a college athlete and the weight of her academic research in areas concerning NCAA rhetoric, discourse, and policy to create her stunning and emotionally driven literary debut. Surviving the Second Tier depicts a new day in college athletics in which the old multi-sport model has collapsed and the bare bones, but extremely profitable Amateur Fighting Association has risen in its place. Where students once competed in a multitude of sports on a variety of playing fields, now college athletes have only the AFA ring in which to prove themselves in full-contact, no holds barred fights to the finish.
As a graduate student researching NCAA policy and rhetoric, Lever began to describe
college athletics as a “dystopia” and soon found that listeners engaged more with the ideas she was sharing. “Surviving the Second Tier is different from other dystopias,” explains Lever. “It targets the college sports industry, inviting the reader to spend some time living and experiencing the life of a college athlete rather than just watching them compete or reading about them in the media. I wanted to present the real-world issues that affect college athletes in an engaging and palatable way and give a bigger picture of the issues beyond just economic exploitation, which is where most of the public discourse focuses.” Lever’s debut novel, Surviving the Second Tier, combines her personal experiences as an athlete with her academic research to bring attention to issues such as corruption, censorship, exploitation, and abuse that affect the lives of the athletes within the college sports industry. Lever is an advocate for college athletes and resides in Austin, TX.
Our second guest today is Matt Gromada is Head of Family, Student, and Starter Banking for Chase, and he will discuss what kids need to know and how and where to learn necessary financial literacy skills, the importance of establishing a banking relationship early, and the digital tools available to make banking safe and easy. This will help graduates with the resources they need to manage their money successfully at each new stage of life. Matt can also discuss the latest research conducted by Chase. They found today’s teens are tuned in 71% of students believe financial literacy is more important now that they are in college. Further, 93% of teens say they need financial literacy skills to help them achieve their life goals, while 97% of their parents agree. For more information go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/mgromada/overlay/contact-info/
Our third guest today is Diana Scudder Verizon VP for Global Operations. Did you know that Wildfire season is raging and hurricane season officially began on June 1, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts this will become the seventh consecutive “above normal” hurricane season? Communication is key during a storm, and we have Verizon’s Communication Expert with us to explain what is being done to improve mobile service and guarantee quality communications during storms. Diana will share valuable insights and information that consumers need to know to stay safe and connected during severe weather. Learn what is being done in times of need to make sure network support is ready and those first responders are able to connect when it matters most. Diana has over 20 years of experience in the wireless telecommunications industry in engineering, operations, program management, and budget management.