ROCHESTER, Mich. – For many college students facing an impending graduation, some may wish for a life transition coach or, for Oakland University student-athletes at least, someone like Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Experience Ashley Stone.

Stone's start in college sports began as a graduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where the program provided, and required, an internship, "(My mentor) connected me with the alumni association and when I was there, I actually had some interactions with the athletic department in two specific areas I didn't even know existed; one was academics and the other was life skills, or as some people call, student-athlete development."

Through volunteering, Stone's eyes were widened to the whole world of college sports, specifically the experience side of the student-athletes. 

"I instantly knew I wanted to work in life skills and student-athlete development," said Stone.

What those need to understand is that people like Stone both on Oakland's campus as well as many other universities prepare student-athletes, 18-22 years old, for life– an identity– outside of their respective sport to which many of them have aligned themselves with for so long. For some, it was as early as picking up a ball as a kid.

"We are here to prepare students to be successful when sports is no longer part of the picture twenty-four seven," said Stone, "For me, it's leadership development, community service, civic engagement, career preparedness and really preparing them or developing the confidence they need to know when they graduate– even though they're no longer a student-athlete– they have an amazing transferable skill set."

Stone helps emphasize that identities are not who they are as a student-athlete but who they are as a "collective" of skills or the makeup of skills that makes each individual unique. 

"Providing them a tangible skill set to use, helping them understand the skills they already have, and helping them find the confidence in themselves to know that as successful as they are in the sport they play, they will be just as successful in any profession they go into," said Stone.

One could empathize with any student-athlete who is facing a life past college in a career field with the stressors that life has to offer. For any one approaching graduation, it can be daunting and even scary to see an unpaved path before him. 

"It doesn't matter if you're a student-athlete or non-student athlete, I've seen it across the board," said Stone, "Those who are in college sports are, essentially over-programmed or programmed to the extent that it's like reading the back of the shampoo bottle; it's wash, rinse, repeat." 

Every day for almost four years, student-athletes know exactly what they're doing, when they're doing it from practice to class to games. Non-student athletes are not omitted from this as well. While full-time students who attend Oakland may have more freedom to gain tangible career skills, they are not excluded from possibly having jobs, a hard major, or community service. Some student-athletes even have all three.

"I feel like anyone who's graduating from college needs a life transition coach to help them with their next steps while also helping them understand you're not alone," said Stone, "Everyone struggles with big life transitions whether that's moving from one job to the next, moving from one place to the next, or even getting you bachelor's degree and your first full-time job."

As part of Stone's job, student-athlete experience can be characterized as an experience a student-athlete may have with people that directly impact themselves within an athletic department summed up into these facets: strength and conditioning, athletic training, nutrition, sport psychology, academics, and student-athlete development. 

"The essential student-athlete experience is not only how we're impacting our student-athletes while here through those interactions, we are impacting them and, hopefully, developing them with these thought-processes and understandings that will also help them apply what they're doing here to life after sports in all areas," said Stone.

So what makes a good student-athlete experience? What would have to tick within an athletic department for student-athletes to love their experience while at Oakland?

"it's an open dialogue and students wanting to use the resources in front of them," said Stone, "I have students who seek out resources and ask really good questions about why we're doing the things we're doing. How is it important? How is it impacting me? The students who invest go on to leave college and absolute rock stars."

It requires buy-in by the student-athlete. 

"It's up to the individual in that our administration, Steve (Waterfield), is great at supporting student-athlete development programming and supporting the required courses students take every semester based upon year in school. They participate in a ninety-minute workshop, which we put together strategically," said Stone. 

Stone puts it this way: if you have a goal, there will always be a plan to get there whether it be in sports or life. She just helps you get there effectively using the 'form over function' mantra. 

"I want every student-athlete to feel like they belong, to feel like they're valued, and to feel like we're listening to them. I don't want that to come off as words - that's my heart. I work in college sports, not for the sports but truly for the student-athletes and wanting to work with a caliber of individual who is competitive - who wants to beat the person next to them. It's easy to invest in someone who wants to be the best," said Stone.