Building Waves

Building Waves, our professional development program, prepares our student athletes for life after Pepperdine by clarifying their career interests, establishing connections with alumni and industry experts, and increasing confidence in their transferable professional skills.

The Building Waves program includes:

Resume and Career Skills Workshops
Networking Events
One-on-One Mentoring
Life Beyond Sport Workshops

Pepperdine Athletics is proud to celebrate the professional accomplishments of our alumni and foster meaningful connections with our current student athletes through the Building Waves program. Since 2020, Waves graduating between 1979-2022 have given back to our students by participating in our networking, mentoring, and life beyond sport events. Drawing upon the expertise and experience of our alumni we empower the next generation of Wave greats.

"Building Waves gave me a deeper understanding of how the business world truly works. I learned what stands out in interviews, gained technical knowledge specific to commercial real estate, and received valuable answers to both basic and advanced questions. I also made some meaningful connections that could lead to future job or internship opportunities. Overall, I feel much more confident in my skills—I'm now interning in the field and adapting quickly thanks to what I learned through this program."

Karina Gonzalez, Women's Soccer Class of 2025

2025–26 Program Impact

Building Waves continued its record growth during the 2025–26 academic year, engaging an all-time high 139 Pepperdine student-athletes in career and life-skills programming. The total represents 47% of Pepperdine's student-athlete population and an increase from 80 participants in 2024–25 and 29 in 2022.

139 participants representing all 14 programs
Engagement across all class years:
Freshmen: 35
Sophomores: 35
Juniors: 25
Seniors: 36
Graduate Students: 8

Participating teams:
Cross Country/Track (23), Women's Swimming/Diving (18), Baseball (16), Women's Soccer (12), Beach Volleyball (12), Men's Basketball (12), Men's Water Polo (11) Men's Golf (9), Men's Volleyball (9), Women's Tennis (6), Women's Basketball (5), Women's Golf (4), Women's Volleyball (1) and Men's Tennis (1)

This has been an inspiring year for Building Waves with participation across sports at an all-program high. Helping our student athletes prepare for the transition out of college athletics and appreciate their unique value in the professional world, I'm seeing them step into this new confidence. For this, I have to thank our Wave alumni who are the linchpin of this program. We know the caliber of our alumni is tremendous, and they are making an enormous impact on the next generation of Waves.

Director of Academics and Student-Athlete Development Erin Carroll

Kian Alton '29 (track) — Encouraged by teammates, Alton became an executive member of Coastal Capital, Pepperdine's student finance club. His leadership skills learned through Coastal have translated to the track, where he was named team captain this year.

AJ Adams '26 (swim & dive) — Adams leveraged a connection within the Pepperdine alumni and donor network to begin her professional career with UBS.

Henry Hicks '27 (cross country/track) — Hicks expanded his professional experience through a prestigious summer internship with Teamworthy Ventures, taking advantage of a career development opportunity shared through Building Waves. Hicks is also an executive member of Coastal Capital.

Since its inception, Building Waves has helped foster strong bonds between current Waves and alumni dating back as far as the Class of 1979. These connections have provided insight into industries such as law, business, education, healthcare, and more while delivering tailored support from those who understand the unique journey of a student-athlete.

Building Waves serves all student-athletes, with expanded sessions created in partnership with Pepperdine's sport psychology staff. This includes special emphasis on life beyond sports, equipping student-athletes with tools to manage the emotional and professional transitions that come after their final season.

Please fill out this Google Form if you are an alum interested in participating in our Building Waves professional development program.

Please email Erin Carroll if you would like to share a job or internship opportunity for student-athletes.

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