Orlando Sentinel - High school seniors chart career path outside athletics

By Zach McCann

October 22, 2009 - Something like 99.999 percent of high school athletes — the runners, the swimmers, the bowlers, the football players — won't make a living playing their respective sports.The athletes on these newspaper pages are more than future sports stars; they're the next generation of teachers, doctors and businessmen.

There are some area athletes with big career plans. If professional football doesn't work out for Apopka's Lo Wood, he hopes to open his own business. The Notre Dame commit plans to major in business management. "I want to [own] probably either a car-washing business or a restaurant," Wood said. "I've always wanted to have a restaurant that makes a certain style of food, and that can bring a lot of attention from people in the community. And everyone needs their car washed."

Even if I play football, I still want to own my business after that. "Winter Springs golfer Kyle Wilkey wants to be a firefighter. Edgewater defensive lineman E.J. Dunston said he would like to build recreation buildings and facilities one day. Olympia golfer Alan Schneider would like to take over his father's business, importing sugar from overseas. "I plan on, after getting my degree in business management, getting a job in the field and going back for my MBA," he said. "And then after that, I'll take over my father's business. "For the past year or so, I've been learning from him and going on some of the business trips with him. I see my dad as a very successful person."

Bishop Moore running back Jalen Singleton also could follow in his father's footsteps. Singleton would like to do something involved with sports. "I'm definitely considering sports management," Singleton said. "Being an agent and helping people out, I think that'd be real cool. And my dad is a physical therapist, so if the agency didn't work out, I could go into that field. "Singleton isn't the only one who wants to help other people. Several area athletes want to work in the health-care field. Alyssa Burkert, a senior cross country runner at Ocoee, wants to be a pediatrician. "I just love little kids, and I think it would be really fun," Burkert said. "I always wanted to be a doctor, and I think it would be a good fit for me.

"Winter Park swimmer Nina Droppers and Edgewater volleyball and soccer player Chelsea Lingelbach would like to help people or animals in need. Droppers visited Africa the previous two summers, and that inspired her to pursue a position in health care. "I've always wanted to go into nursing," said Droppers, who is undecided but wants to go to Hope College in Michigan. "... I just want to help people, as elementary as that sounds. That would be the coolest thing to live in a village somewhere and help people.

"Lingelbach doesn't know exactly what she wants to be, but she has it narrowed down to two choices. "I've wanted to be a veterinarian forever," she said. "That's a possibility. If I don't do that, then I'd like to be a math teacher. Any kind of math, I just really enjoy it."

Zach McCann can be reached at zmccann@orlandosentinel.com.

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