Former Rutgers rower Grace Lewis initially didn't want to attend the event that shaped her career path.

"Rowers are famous for wanting to go to bed at 8:30," she admits, "but I thought I really should go."

That thought proved to be prudent.

Before she graduated from Rutgers in May with two undergraduate degrees and a master's degree, Lewis had already lined up her first full-time job. It grew from a connection she made at "Knight of Networking," an evening that provides current student-athletes a chance to build professional relationships with former letterwinners and other people from the Rutgers world.

The event — organized every season by Scarlet Knights For Life, Rutgers Athletics' career and personal development program – routinely hosts dozens of employers from a wide array of sectors.

The pivotal Knight of Networking for Lewis was held in the fall of 2021, the first semester of the New Zealand native's accelerated master's studies in political science. 

It's where Lewis met Marc Greenberger, founder and managing partner of large-scale marketing firm Market Performance Group. Greenberger — a former Rutgers rower himself — and Lewis struck up a conversation talking sports, not shop.

"Our first conversations weren't about, 'Hey, I want to work for you,'" Lewis said. "We talked about rowing. Rowers love to talk about [the sport] because nobody likes to talk about rowing as much as we do. From there, we created a connection that we could build upon."

While some student-athletes left that Knight of Networking event with job interviews lined up, Lewis left with a new-found mentor. She routinely consulted with Greenberger over the months that followed as she started the job search.

"I continued interviewing with other companies," Lewis recalls, "but I kept coming back to Marc to brainstorm and workshop my next steps."

Finally, as Lewis started her final semester at Rutgers, her mentor suggested she interview for a marketing job at the company that proved to be the best fit: Greenberger's own company, Market Performance Group.

Lewis learned through the interview process that working at MPG would match the challenging, fast-paced lifestyle of a student-athlete, something she sought in an employer.

But most importantly, because of her status as an international student, Lewis knew she needed an employer she could trust to support her right to stay in the United States.

"For me to work in America, a lot of it was going to be about having an employer would who accommodate any visa issues I might have," Lewis said. "I didn't want to work for somebody who might just drop me."

"What really appealed to me with MPG and Marc from Knight of Networking was that he cared about me, and he was interested in what my goals were." 

Lewis is now nearly half-a-year into her role as an account executive at MPG, where her ties to New Brunswick endure even after her playing career. Her main client is Johnson & Johnson, whom Lewis works with to create marketing materials — think, endcaps and promotional displays – used to promote J&J products at major American retailers like Walmart and CVS.

Looking back on it, Lewis is glad she ignored her self-imposed curfew. "I wouldn't be here without having gone to Knight of Networking," she admits.

But beyond the connection that sparked a career, the event gave Lewis the chance to meet her Rutgers peers.

"It was a cool opportunity to talk with other student-athletes about what they're doing and where they are in their career search," Lewis said. "It gets you talking about things that aren't your sport."

She's also grateful to rowing head coach Justin Price and his staff for encouraging the entire team to take advantage of the networking events and career-development opportunities that Scarlet Knights For Life offers.

Lewis remembers Price's message to the team: "'When you leave the rowing team, we want you to continue to be a whole, great person in life and not just a really great rower." 

"[Price] really pushed for us to utilize our career services because we're going to be Rutgers rowing alums for the rest of our lives, and he wants us doing something beneficial in the world," Lewis added.

It was one career-services event that shaped Grace Lewis' professional path. But it wasn't only the promise of job offers that gave her the last nudge she needed.

"I knew that a lot of effort had gone into planning the event, so I really wanted to support [Scarlet Knights For Life]," Lewis said.

The Scarlet Knights For Life™ program provides career and leadership development, image enhancement, and community engagement for all 700+ student-athletes. This support is offered through a broad array of events and workshops such as the Knight of Networking referenced in this story, connection to alumni and industry leaders, personalized networking interactions, and one-on-one professional coaching sessions. Alumni and employers interested in supporting the professional development of Rutgers student-athletes are encouraged to email scarletknightsforlife@scarletknights.com.