Student athletes filed into Olin 110 in preparation to listen to three different Southwestern University Alum discuss their current careers, after graduating with a business degree. This event was made possible by Alexandra Anderson with the Center of Career and Professional Development (CCPD) and Austin Gordon ‘26, co-sponsored by CCPD, Black Student Union, the JEDI Center, and EMPIRE as a program for Black History Month. Curious Conversations: Careers of Black Alumni Athletes opened up the space for the three speakers of the night: Dante Smith ‘17, Hugh Arrington ‘05, and Blair Orr ‘19.

Dante Smith, former SU football player, began the talk with immediate reassurance to his audience: “I started at Southwestern University knowing nothing about careers,” and went on to describe how he met Alexandra Anderson in his junior year, which secured the opening to his future. He currently works as a Sales Enablement Program Manager with the company Square. On top of this prominent position, Smith is an entrepreneur, managing several successful businesses of his, including a car rental business through Turo and an in-home gym installation business, Flexspace Gyms. 

Hugh Arrington, former SU basketball player, shared his original thoughts he had when he started college, something that a fair amount of students relate to: “focus on your degree and figure it out later.” Now, he could not disagree with this more. He informed the room that it is important to be intentional about your career aspirations as you work your way through the Southwestern experience. He shared that after graduating from SU, he was $94k in debt from student loans and was determined to pay it back as soon as possible. Going into the sales industry, he was able to pay off his debt in just over five years. Arrington stated in reassurance: “Focus on what kind of problems you want to solve and that job title can look different.” After SU, he studied at Tulane University and received a masters in Finance. Arrington is currently the Associate Director of Financial Planning & Analysis at Ro. 

Blair Orr, former SU football player, introduced himself with a major shoutout to Dr. Debika Sihi of the Business Department, saying that she is one of the main reasons he has a job now. He described how he wanted to take advantage of every opportunity that he could, informing the room he had three on-campus jobs in sophomore year. Orr wanted all of his professors to know him by name and know his dedication to his work. He currently works as an Account Executive at Rapid7. 

Alexandra Anderson prompted the speakers to talk about how being an athlete at SU has helped in different parts of their lives. In response, Smith immediately said: “Manage up, go to that next level and don’t be afraid to approach that next level.” Arrington added on to that, discussing how athlete mentality translates well when talking about performance in the workplace. Nothing will be 100% all of the time and that’s okay. Arrington described “understanding how you are performing as an individual within a team” makes the athlete mentality parallel business. 

Orr responded with two key aspects regarding the transfer of the mentality of the field to the workplace: accountability and integrity. He then asked, “What are you doing to make yourself better? What are you contributing to the organization?” Prompting the audience, he encouraged them to “do the hard things now because it’ll make it so much easier for the future.”

When the floor opened to questions from students, the first question was about the hardships and difficulties of the transition from college to the workplace. Orr hopped onto the question, immediately saying that “you have to get uncomfortable to grow.” Arrington added onto Orr’s point, describing that nothing great was ever built within somebody’s comfort zone. He urged the audience to take advantage of what superiors are asking you, so that you can take those questions, dissect them, and use them as your own. He stated, “They’re not only interviewing you, you’re interviewing them! […] This is your career, take ownership of it.” 

Smith lastly added a key point: you’re going to run into people you don’t like. He turned this into a positive learning experience, stating “Use every bad experience that you have as a good experience for the next person that you’re gonna interact with.”

The next question, referring to Orr’s point about Dr. Sihi assisting him in college, asked about what other classes and resources were helpful at SU. Orr answered with Business in Technology and Innovation and Cultural Communications. Arrington suggested both Micro and Macro Economics, Money and Banking, and spoke very highly of psychology courses too: “when you think about business, it’s humans interacting with other humans.” Smith’s response was any class with Dr. Thompson, stating that he was the best professor he’s ever worked with.

The Megaphone asked about leadership, and inquired about what the speakers had learned in their leadership positions that they wished they knew in the past. Arrington responded first, stating that “being smart and doing a good job is rarely enough in corporate america—you have to have a good IQ and EQ and be able to manage your emotions.” He also brought up cultural intelligence and the vast importance of understanding that there is not one type of person you’re going to be speaking to; you have to meet people where they’re at. Orr encouraged the ability to pivot and do something different. Something is always going to happen in corporate America, so have a plan B and C. Smith pointed out that “whether you like it or not, someone views you as a leader.” He said that this will continue for the rest of your life, reminding students that if you’ve been a leader in the past, you will always be viewed as one. However, Smith stated “being ‘that guy’ came with people watching your every move. You’re always being watched.” Orr quickly added to that: “Be ready to take feedback.”

The voices of Dante Smith, Hugh Arrington, and Blair Orr ensured self-confidence and resilience within the hearts of the listeners. Their athletic background helped them shape their future, and they’ve held onto it since their SU days. Their words were inspiring and uplifting and made the room buzz with excitement for the future. Arrington made a very encouraging statement in the middle of the talk saying, “…full circle moment: my first finance class was in this room!!!”