- By Oriana Helfrecht-Kannady
For many students navigating the currents of college life, balancing the competing pressures of academics and extracurriculars can be challenging. Especially so when considering the big open question of “what comes next” after graduation.
LEAD Coaching, offered through the Culverhouse College of Business’s Business LEAD program, helps pilot students through those sometimes-murky waters via one-on-one student- and staff-led mentoring sessions.
And sometimes, the coached becomes a coach — Culverhouse student Randall Holstead became a student coach after going through a coaching session herself.
At first, Holstead, like most Culverhouse students, wasn’t sure what to expect from LEAD Coaching. Many associate it with the college’s GBA 246 course, which requires enrolled students to participate in coaching, and Holstead’s experience was no different. However, everything changed after attending a session with LEAD Coach Keith Norton. In that session, Norton explained how to market yourself effectively, leaving Holstead “feeling like a million bucks, because he really thinks that anyone from The University of Alabama can do anything.”
Before becoming a coach, one of the most valuable aspects of the program for Holstead was access to expert resources. Norton and his coaching counterpart Lauren Wilson, formerly at Meta, bring real-world industry experience to bear and provide students with strategies for acing interviews and building confidence. Holstead said, “I love LEAD. It builds your confidence, it gives you every tool you need in your tool kit to be an asset to any team in any firm or job.”
As a participant, LEAD Coaching helped Holstead strengthen her resume and secure her first post-grad job. She recalls how coaching sessions and workshops often involved student coaches sharing their own experiences — helping to connect with other students on a peer-to-peer level. One workshop stood out to her, “It was really beneficial for me because at the career fair, I met the company I’ll be working for in May.” She credits LEAD Coaching for teaching her how “to have the difficult conversations with recruiters and how to put my best foot forward.”
By exploring her strengths and interests, she felt more prepared to take the next step — whether that was applying for internships, networking with professionals, or refining her leadership skills.
Looking back, Holstead sees the program as a turning point in her college experience. “Coaching not only gave me skills to help others, but opportunities I might not have had otherwise,” she said.
She also describes how rewarding being a student coach has been, “I love talking to the freshman about survival tips, or the best classes to take in the business school.”
“Perfecting my resume freshman year ensured I had an internship every summer since, and now I’ve had my job since September. My senior year isn’t riddled with a job search — I secured it and can relax and focus on finishing strong.”