Dorian Hall, a senior in the Jobs for Florida’s Graduates program and safety, wide receiver on the South Broward High School football team in South Florida, was just offered scholarships to 35 colleges including nine Division I schools. How did he get here? He says, “I continued to work hard on the field and it all paid off.” The sentiment that hard work is repaid with good fortune is something we strive to instill in our JFG students every day and we’re proud to say Hall is a shining example of this belief.
Not only has Hall been ranked #15 among Broward County Top Football Players and played in All State and All County football games, he’s been earning “A’s” and “B’s” since sixth grade and has excelled in his JFG class under Ms. Russell’s instruction who he says “has been a great mentor” to him. Hall has learned how to prepare for job interviews and created his first resume in his JFG class. It also helped him select the colleges he was interested in and gave him confidence to mentor youths in his neighborhood.
After meeting with college coaches at the signing to consider their numerous offers, he chose to sign with Florida International University in Miami with his mother’s support. Hall says they came to this decision together by focusing on the school’s academics and access to his desired Athletic Training and Sports Medicine program.
Thanks to our growing partnership with DreamJobbing, the next generation platform that offers job opportunities allowing students to career sample, we had the pleasure of arranging a mentorship call between Hall and Head Athletic Trainer for the Miami Dolphins, Ryan Grove. During the call, they discussed the journey of becoming a professional in the world of sports after college.
Hall's first question was, "How did you begin your career?" and information flowed from there. Grove took the time to explain how he spent 15 seasons with the Steelers NFL team after receiving his degrees in Pittsburg and interning with them before moving to work with the Miami Dolphins. He said things have slightly changed since he received his training and earned his degrees. He gave each step that is now required to work as a trainer, a physical therapist and how to do so for the NFL. He even explained the best ways for Hall to set himself up for a successful life after working for the NFL once he's older and has a family since an athletic trainer career in the NFL consists of demanding hours.
Grove discussed internships and how the Dolphins recruit their interns (sometimes directly from FIU where Hall will be attending,) and what the requirements are to fulfill an internship position. He also gave Hall valuable resources for staying in the know about the industry. Ryan explained how Dorian could make himself more marketable by earning dual degrees in athletic training and physical therapy and how doing so will open many doors for him down the road.
We’re proud of Dorian Hall for his accomplishments as a driven football player and look forward to following his future career in sports on and off the field.