Nearly a decade removed from her student-athlete experience, Shelly Frick has stayed connected to the University of Central Florida from across the world.

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The risk and compliance senior manager at Protiviti started working with the global consulting business the summer after graduating from UCF. Her career with Protiviti started in the Orlando, Florida, offices and has led to stints in San Francisco, London and now Sydney. Frick credits her willingness to take on new opportunities to the adaptability she gained as a softball player for the Knights.

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Eager to stay involved in the program that helped shape her professional life, Frick became the first UCF alum to participate in the Knights Without Borders service learning program in 2015. She spent a week with current student-athletes, assisting communities in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The group of 25 painted a library and helped with roof and lawn maintenance.

“Being around student-athletes reminded me of the great things you can achieve by staying focused on common goals and putting the team above yourself,” Frick says.

Frick’s participation in the service trip marked the beginning of an ongoing effort to connect UCF athletic alumni with current student-athletes through the Knights Without Borders program and mentoring opportunities. The close ties the businesswoman maintains with her school pay off not just on a personal level, but professionally as well.

“Our clients usually come to us when they have a problem that needs to be solved or they need advice to improve their business in some way,” Frick says. “Staying connected to other alumni, professors and staff gives me a fresh and innovative perspective on how to approach my work and help solve problems for our clients."