As a high jumper at the University of Arizona, Shakayla Collins participated in a life-skills program that provided student-athletes with support services and career planning.
She was so inspired by the program, Commitment to an Athlete's Total Success, or CATS, that she volunteered to be a student mentor. She went on to serve as an academic liaison on the university's NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
After graduating in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in health sciences with a concentration in physiology, Collins worked for two years in student-athlete support services at the University of Missouri-Kansas City while earning a master's degree there in higher education.
Now she's using her expertise to help Cal State Fullerton student-athletes succeed.
Collins, 28, is in her fourth year as coordinator of the school's Life Skills program, which is part of Athletics Academic Services. She is also an academic counselor.
In a typical week, Collins might review academics with a sports team, hold a leadership seminar, advise students how to dress for success and present tips on stress management. Her primary goals are to help student-athletes hone their individual skills and reach their career goals.
One-on-one meetings can turn things around
Her favorite part of the job is dealing with students one on one.
"A lot of the students come to me for a resume review. They'll say, 'Shakayla, I have only been an athlete. I have done nothing else in my life. I
don't know how I am going to get a job.' All of this negative, negative, negative," said Collins.
"I'll have a conversation with them for 30 minutes or an hour and open their eyes to all the skills they possess. For them to leave saying, 'I do have things I can talk about,' brings me such joy because they come in kind of defeated and leave optimistic. And it's even better when they call back and say, "I got the job' or 'I got the interview.' "
The Life Skills program provides an essential service, said Fullerton Director of Athletics Jim Donovan.
"There is so much more to life than hitting a curve ball, making a free throw or scoring on a penalty kick that we can teach them. One of our overarching goals is not only to graduate our student-athletes but to ensure they leave here as better people," said Donovan.
"Shakayla has stepped up to bring our Life Skills program to the next level. She is focusing on key development areas. She is trying to mold leaders –people who know when to take a stand, do the right thing and believe in themselves."
Understanding the demands on student-athletes
Allyson Kelly, Fullerton's interim director of Athletics Academic Services, said Collins strongly connects with the Titan student-athletes
"Shakayla gets what they are going through. She understands their time demands and what they need to do to prepare for their futures," said Kelly, who is also an academic counselor. "She sees the big picture. She is a creative person who sees a problem and is able to find solutions."
The Life Skills program is designed to prepare student-athletes for challenges that lie ahead. It helps them develop the individual skills necessary to lead successful and productive lives and contribute to society.
The program's leadership pathway has three levels: University 115, the Captain's Academy and the Titan Leaders Team. Collins and former college soccer coach Ali Malaekeh teach the courses.
University 115, a one-unit course each fall, is designed to help first-year Titan student-athletes develop skills to succeed across many fields. The class provides strategies to navigate campus resources and an opportunity to build leadership and life skills.
Collins recently reworked the University 115 curriculum and has received positive feedback from surveys.
Two new platforms to develop leadership skills
Student-athletes can further develop their leadership skills through the invitation-only Captain's Academy and Titan Leadership Team. Collins launched the two programs this year. Eight individuals graduated from the academy, and five are Titan Leadership Team members.
The Captain's Academy, which utilizes Jon Gordon's "Power of Positive Leadership," explores the character traits of self-leadership. Student-athletes learn how to become an impactful, positive leader capable of changing culture and establishing a legacy of excellence.
The Titan Leadership Team members assist Collins and Malaekeh with the University 115 course. They serve as mentors, meeting with the first-year students in subgroups after the main lectures.
"The mentors learn how to become better leaders and how to interact with their fellow athletes. We are trying to get everyone to be more positive and avoid "energy vampires," people who sap others of their energy," said Collins.
She and Malaekeh stress that people don't need to have a huge goal each day. Improving just 1% daily will ultimately lead to aggregate success, she said.
In addition to the leadership pathways, the Life Skills program focuses on career and personal development.
Many elements to boost career development
For career development, student-athletes learn how to enhance their personal brand through workshops. They practice elevator pitches (a brief
way of introducing yourself and making a connection with someone), undergo mock interviews and polish their social media skills.
The Fullerton Athletics Career Expo is a networking event held each spring. Professional companies seeking to hire candidates for career and internship opportunities meet with Titan student-athletes.
The Fullerton Athletics Career Expo is a networking event. Professional companies seeking to hire candidates for career and internship opportunities meet with Titan student-athletes.
"We ask them where their career passions lie and help them identify possible career paths," said Collins. "There are five generations in the work force, and students need to know how to communicate best with all generations."
Personal development covers a range of topics, from diversity, equity, and inclusion to practical issues such as nutrition, dressing for success, budgeting and stress management. Outside experts offer advice on different issues.
"We want to cover subjects that are traditionally not taught in the classroom," said Collins. "This personal development will let them lead successful lives after graduation."
Two mentors help leadership program get off the ground
Maddie Phantumabamrung and Camila Garcia were part of the inaugural Captain's Academy class last spring. Phantumabamrung, from Huntington Beach, is a defender on the soccer team. Garcia, a sophomore from Lisbon, Portugal, plays singles and doubles on the tennis team.
"I really love the atmosphere that Shakayla has created," said Phantumabamrung, who plans to double major in Political Science and Women and Gender Studies. "We have mentors from different sports who have really opened up to each other."
"In our University 115 subgroups, we convey how the leadership lessons can be applied to both sports and life," said Phantumabamrung, a redshirt freshman.
Garcia, who is a Communications, Entertainment and Tourism major, said she joined the Captain's Academy to learn what it takes to be a good leader.
"The leadership discussions we have are super-helpful. People who usually keep things to themselves are opening up and sharing more," said the redshirt sophomore.
"If we as mentors can help people establish the right mentality, they will become happier and end their college careers with no regrets," said Garcia, who hopes some of her mentees will become mentors next year.
Photo by Bill Sheehan Camila Garcia, left, and Maddie Phantumabamrung are inaugural members of the Captain's Academy and Titan Leadership Team.
Tucson native was standout high jumper
Collins, born Shakayla McEaddy, was raised in Tucson by her mother and stepfather, Nicole and Rick Haan. She has a younger brother, Jalen.
At Catalina Foothill High School in north Tucson, she was a standout track-and-field performer and played basketball and volleyball. She received academic and athletic scholarships to her hometown University of Arizona.
Coached by Sheldon Blockburger, Collins had a career best 5-foot-10 in the high jump.
When Collins decided to pursue a career in athletics administration, she sought guidance from Becky Bell, an Arizona associate athletic director and leader of the school's CATS program. Bell advised her to earn a master's degree at a mid-major college where she could gain a wide range of experience as a graduate assistant.
She did just that at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, working with Deputy Director of Athletics Ursula Gurney and Assistant Director of Academic Support Amelia Howard.
"It was really fun. I got to work with several sports in many different areas," said Collins, who served as an academic advisor and counselor and supervised the athletic department's tutoring program.
After graduating with a master's in higher education with an emphasis on sports administration, she was hired as Fullerton's Life Skills coordinator in October 2017. A year and a half later, she added academic counseling to her portfolio.
An academic adviser for several teams
She serves as the academic adviser for the Titan men's soccer team and is advising the women's basketball, tennis and cross-country teams on an interim basis.
Collins is working on a master's in counseling at Fullerton. Ultimately, she would like to become a licensed professional clinical counselor and work with student-athletes. She also would like to become a speak on mental health issues.
An avid reader of fiction – "anything that is too real I don't want to read about" – Collins also enjoys books about paranormal activities. "I like to unplug and not think about anything too serious," she said. Another interest is solving puzzles.
She met her future husband, Sean Collins, at the University of Arizona. Sean served as the interim director of athletics communications at Cal State Fullerton before taking a job as a communications coordinator for UC Irvine's graduate division.
They were married in February 2018 in Sedona, Arizona. "It was crazy," recalled Collins. "It was in the 80s the day before and the day after, but it snowed on our wedding day."
For Collins, ever the positive person, it was a problem that just melted away.
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— Titans Athletics (@FullertonTitans) December 15, 2021