The original version of this article contained multiple errors and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for more information.
Rising redshirt junior middle blocker Trent Kersten is used to contributing to UCLA on the volleyball court. This summer, Kersten is moving out of the realm of men’s volleyball, but is sticking to what he knows well: representing UCLA.
Kersten found an intern position for the summer working for UCLA Athletics recruiting department, where he gives visiting recruits from all sports tours around the school.
It is not uncommon for UCLA athletes to find jobs in the athletics recruiting department. There are 15 to 20 students working in the department this summer, and according to Kersten about 10 of them are student-athletes.
Kersten took the internship to try to prepare himself for what he wants to do after he graduates – volleyball coaching. While Kersten intends to play professionally after his UCLA career is over, he’s already planning his next step after that.
“I always knew that I would be a better coach than a player,” Kersten said. “The first thing I wanted to learn is everything (the recruiting department does) with coaches because I want to coach after I’m done playing.”
Kersten has always had someone to look to for his aspirations to coach. His father has coached Kersten from his first volleyball games as a kid until college, and has continued to give advice ever since. While a desire to coach seems to run in the family, one aspect about coaching that he was unfamiliar with was the recruiting process.
Kersten usually helps out with one tour a day, and as a student-athlete giving a tour to a potential recruit, Kersten said he thinks he can be more helpful than a regular student or coach. He knows exactly what it’s like standing on the other side.
After the tour is over and he is done trying to sell the recruit on the school, Kersten heads back to the J.D. Morgan Center, where he updates the department’s database to keep track of how many times the recruiting department and coaches have talked to each recruit.
After a summer in the office, Kersten will return to the volleyball court, where he’ll try to help bring the team back to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoffs.
Compiled by Derrek Li, Bruin senior staff.
Correction: Kersten is a rising junior. He plans to play professionally after college.