The Rams kicked off year three of their Pathways to Success Mentorship program at the team's training camp presented by UNIFY Financial Credit Union. The program is tailored to educate high school students on professional development and careers opportunities in the sports industry. Through the program, students are paired with Rams front office staff members to explore goal setting, self-discovery, social etiquette, interview preparation, financial literacy, leveraging technology and building a personal brand.  

Each workshop is led by an expert to help educate and engage the mentors and mentees, all in an effort to ensure the students receive the most valuable information. Mentors eventually show their mentees the inner workings of their roles in professional sports. "It means a lot to me to share my experience, because it is always about setting up the next generation with the tools to [be] successful. Personally, I didn't have this opportunity in high school, so the chance for these students to have this opportunity is amazing," said Rams social media intern and mentor, Bobby Saberi.  

"We were excited to kick off training camp with a program that highlights the power of the game we all love beyond the field. To see how football created a pathway of access for mentoring relationships with 30 Rams staff members and 15 high school students is incredible," said Rams Director of Social Justice and Youth Football, Johnathan Franklin. 

Training camp provided a unique setting for students to see the work that goes on up close. Saberi added, "It was really cool. During practice when my mentee was in the community tent, she was able to see what I do in real time. Being able to show and give her tips on the fly was great."

Rams consumer insights analyst, Rosa Garza, also spent time with the students as a mentor. "I love to talk to the students. I want to inform them of all the different opportunities and know that you [don't] have to be an athlete to be in the sports field. There are so many different things that you can do."

Similarly to Saberi, Garza emphasized that she didn't have someone that outlined the opportunities in sports when she was growing up. She said, "To be able to tell the students early on, I think is really great and inspirational, which is why I do it because I know I would have loved to learn sooner rather than later."

The goal of Pathways to Success is to do just that, create pathways for high school students. "Pathways that lead every mentee to believe they are enough, pathways to resources for college and career readiness, pathways to a broader network, and pathways toward success based on their own respective definition," explained Franklin.

Garza and Saberi are looking forward to helping their mentees find their passion and continue to provide them with invaluable experiences to confidently step into internships and future opportunities.

When discussing the importance of these students having this access at such as young age, Franklin said, "Rams Pathways to Success is a comprehensive program that equips students with essential life skills such as financial literacy, professional etiquette, and self-discovery, in addition to exposure to the inner workings of the Los Angeles Rams. This exposure creates equity, provides resources and pathways to help diversify the sports industry workforce pipeline, and emphasizes the unifying power of sports."

Throughout the program, Rams front office staff will continue to provide mentorship to local students in-person and through virtual workshops. In addition, the Rams will host the mentees for multiple hands-on sessions including a job-shadowing opportunity with their mentor at a Rams home game at SoFi Stadium.

To learn more about the Rams' community efforts, please visit www.therams.com/community.