Por que grandes empresas imobiliárias estão juntando recursos para recrutar estudantes-atletas negros

When Darius Livingston graduated from the University of California, Davis, two years ago, he knew his football career was over. Like most of his former teammates — and the majority of college athletes — he wasn't going pro.

Em vez disso, Livingston entrou no setor imobiliário comercial, graças às lições que aprendeu em um programa de estágio remunerado que ensina a jovens estudantes de cor os fundamentos das finanças, com foco particular no investimento imobiliário.

O programa, Project Destined, é uma plataforma de impacto social fundada pelo ex-diretor do Carlyle Group, Cedric Bobo.

Bobo fez seu nome em investimentos imobiliários e então decidiu pagá-lo adiante. Ele lançou o programa de finanças em 2016 principalmente para alunos do ensino médio. Em seguida, ele ampliou para faculdades, vendo a oportunidade de estágios e empregos antes e depois da formatura.

Ansiosas para diversificar sua força de trabalho, algumas das maiores empresas imobiliárias, financeiras e de administração assinaram contrato para financiar os estágios e orientar os alunos. Isso inclui nomes como Propriedades de Boston, Greystar, Brookfield, CBRE, Equity Residential, Quinta Parede, JLL, Skanska, Vornado e Walker & Dunlop.

O programa treinou mais de 5,000 participantes de mais de 350 universidades em todo o mundo e fez parceria com mais de 250 empresas imobiliárias.

And now, it's gearing some of its efforts specifically toward Black student-athletes.

Depois de fazer um programa piloto recentemente com alunos-atletas da UC Davis, Bobo anunciou uma parceria com o Black Student-Athlete Summit, uma organização de apoio profissional e acadêmico, para oferecer estágios virtuais pagos a 100 alunos-atletas de nove escolas da Divisão I . Inclui 25 horas de treinamento.

"Program participants will also join executives to evaluate real-time commercial real estate transactions in their community and compete in pitch competitions to senior industry leaders," according to a release announcing the partnership. "The internship includes opportunities for scholarships and networking."

Livingston passou pelo piloto da UC Davis em seu último semestre de faculdade, depois conseguiu estágios na Eastdil e na Eden Housing. Ele agora é um associado de aquisições e desenvolvimento no Catalyst Housing Group, uma empresa de desenvolvimento imobiliário com sede na Califórnia e um financiador da nova parceria.

"I think, for me, it was really a realization that I probably won't be a first-round draft pick, and that's OK," explained Livingston. "It's really being exposed to other opportunities. That's why I'm so blessed to have Project Destined come along and expose me to the commercial real estate industry and the mindset that I deserve to be an owner in the communities that I live in."

That right of ownership has long been Bobo's mantra and was the crux of his pitch as he announced the new arm of his program to hundreds of students at the Black Student-Athletes Summit at USC. He wants them to understand that they can create change in their own neighborhoods by owning and managing real estate. More important, he wants them to know that ownership is possible.

"Our program is not just about how we see you all," Bobo said of the real estate executives who were on hand for the announcement. "It's how you see yourselves."

Embora a taxa de graduação para estudantes-atletas negros esteja melhorando lentamente, muitos alunos que receberam uma chuva de recursos na escola se veem lutando quando terminam seus esforços atléticos e saem do mercado de trabalho.

"A lot of these kids may think they're a first-round draft pick, and that is a percent of a percent of a percent of a percent, so it's really being real with yourself and knowing that you deserve much more than what you're simply exposed to, and that's just sports," Livingston said.

O apoio financeiro para o programa vem de empresas imobiliárias, incluindo BGO, Brookfield, Catalyst Housing Group, Dune Real Estate Partners, Jemcor Development Partners, Landspire Group, Marcus & Millichap, Virtu Investments e The Vistria Group, entre outros.

"The expansion of this platform is a natural evolution of this collective effort and will provide tangible pathways for thousands of Black student-athletes to pursue future careers in commercial real estate," said Jordan Moss, who is also a former student-athlete at UC Davis and the founder and CEO of Catalyst.

Project Destined also has been working with the NBA and the WNBA to give professional athletes more options after they're finished with their athletic careers.

Livingston disse que acha que os atletas são os melhores funcionários.

"We play to win," he explained. "It's the competitive nature. We want to outwork our opportunities."