By Robert Mish '21
After looking around at colleges, the realization struck Cleighton Hilbert ’21 that he didn’t know what he wanted his major to be in college. So he founded What’s Next, a club for students in the same situation who are struggling to find their future career path.
The club functions by getting guests to speak about their occupations and what their job entails. Most speakers have been of the business type, but the club’s most recent guest has a profession that differs quite a bit from the usual.
Jay Bilas is a prominent college basketball analyst for ESPN, as well as a practicing attorney in North Carolina. Bilas played college basketball for Duke University, where he later became an assistant under Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Bilas is also a frequent contributor on SportsCenter and ESPN radio and is well known throughout the college basketball world.
As expected, Bilas was a challenging guest to bring in, but Hilbert remained persistent. “I was able to track down his email,” he said. “and after emailing twice, he finally responded and we set up a date to do the zoom call.” The main reason for bringing in Bilas was the fact that he holds jobs in both the sports industry and as a lawyer. “I was able to knock out two birds with one stone, and who better than Jay Bilas to cover both subjects,” said Hilbert.
Holding two jobs is obviously a large time commitment for anyone, and dealing with time management was one of the messages that Bilas emphasized in the zoom call. The willingness to say “no” was stressed by Bilas, who stated that saying “no” to some things meant prioritizing one’s main goals. “He really focused on how important it is to work hard and stay focused on the thing that you are passionate about,” said Hilbert.
Ultimately, the zoom meeting was a success, with a large number of upper school students tuning in to listen and ask questions. Getting Jay Bilas as a guest for “What’s Next” was a big accomplishment for Hilbert, and the club looks forward to finding more great professionals as guests.