It may be April now but we can’t help reminiscing on March and all the fantastic basketball we were able to watch during this year’s March Madness tournament. 136 teams represented their colleges and universities represented in the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament. This premier collegiate basketball event provides a platform to each educational institution to showcase both their athletic achievements as well as broadcast their brand across the country. As college basketball games dominate cable networks and streaming platforms during the month of March, we decided to bring March Madness into our own daily programming in order to increase college awareness among our students! At Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter School (BSNBCS) and Corpus Christi School. Kids in the Game celebrated March Madness by hosting a “College and Career Week.”
During the week of March 19th, eight guest speakers from various academic and career backgrounds spoke to the students of BSNBCS and Corpus Christi. Each speaker discussed their collegiate experience and career journey, leading them to offer their best advice and tips to the curious and ambitions young scholars. Check out a few highlights from the speakers below!
Hon. Richard Clinchy- Westchester Town Councilman, High School Teacher, College Basketball Coach, High School Basketball Coach, Motivational Speaker.
Coach Clinchy spoke of his time playing baseball both at Hobart University and professionally. He discussed the supreme importance of education, his role as a teacher and coach, and offered advice on how to get recruited by a college coach. After asking students to think of their intrinsic motivation, he stressed each scholar to truly believe in their ability to succeed in whatever they may be passionate about – sports, art, theater, science. Finally, all students were gifted with a t-shirt with a quote from Duke University coach, Coach K, “Always Do Your Best!”
Tatum Boehnke – Director of Community and Impact for Kids in the Game. NCAA Division One Swimmer and Swimming Coach.
Tatum spoke of her development as a swimmer and her determination to set the for swimming across the English Channel! Connecting her swimming with her education, she credits her success in both endeavors to positive goal-setting, having a strong support system, and her internal determination and belief in herself. A graduate of Northern Colorado State University, Tatum transitioned to collegiate swimming coach and working in athletic admissions at her Alma matter. As she loved to help her athletes, Tatum pursued her passion of helping those around her by joining KING as the Director of Community and Impact!
Will McKinney – Associate Director of Marketing, Urban Catalog at Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment
Will is an extremely successful marketing director in the music production industry tasked with working with top artists to select hit singles and figure out how to properly market each song to reach a widespread audience using a variety of platforms. Will enthralled the students of BSNBCS with his stories of working with SZA, Wyclef John, Whitney Houston, Tribe Called Quest, Beyonce’s marketing team, Travis Scott, and Bryson Tiller. A graduate of Belmont University, he offered advice to our students on the benefit of growing up in NYC – a cultural music hub with a multitude of music industry resources available to all students.
Dan Bradley – Senior Producer, Director of Video, Sports at VICE.
Produced sports documentaries with Steph Curry, Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, Marshawn Lynch
Dan, a Syracuse University alumni, gave a multi-media presentation that interwove his various sports documentaries with each part of his professional development. Starting off with a Steph Curry and Under Armour commercial he directed, he spoke of starting his own production company with two friends as they combined their resources and worked day and night to find success. Next was a series produced with Carmelo Anthony, highlighting a high school soccer team in Manhattan. Dan spoke about creating VICE Sports and his continued focus on finding the cross-section of sports and culture, all packaged in a unique story. After a clip of the world’s best female rock climber, a teenager from NYC, Dan offered tangible advice for those interested in creating videos and digital storytelling. iPhones, YouTube, creativity, and finding a unique angle will lead young creators down a path of success.