I am Willette White, CEO and Owner of Next Step with Passion and Purpose. After being in Women’s Basketball as a coach and an administrator for 36years, I retired in 2019. After watching young women struggle year after year with their recruiting journey and the overwhelming transition from high school to college athletics, I decided to redirect my passion for the female student athlete and create an avenue for young women and their parents to aid them in the recruiting process and have the proper readiness and preparation around the transition process.
We have a recruiting program that is dedicated towards finding the right fit, we begin with an initial in-depth assessment of what’s important to their daughter, we design ways to get exposure, being recognized, being seen, and implement communication tools to find the right place for her.
That, coupled with our 360-degree program allows parents and the student-athletes to have the readiness and preparation for the transition when she gets on a college campus. Why is the transition piece so critical? How important is it that she is safe, that she’s knowledgeable regarding the overwhelming transition ahead and she learns how to navigate the new environment?
It’s not enough for her just to get to college!! If the goal is to make sure she has the maximum confidence and awareness, (most incoming freshmen do not have), to handle the challenges and pitfalls and thrive, then we will equip the student athlete and parents with the transitory tools to excel and prepare for the uncertainties ahead.
Our entire process is 18 months. The recruiting process is 1 year, along with 7-weeks of transitory programming for the student athletes and parents, with topics like: personal accountability, time management, fear of new beginnings, their new Identity, social and peer pressure, parents’ new and evolving role and a host of other weekly topics, along with a wrap up week. Once the student athlete arrives on campus, we offer 6-months of support.