COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Allen University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announces The Hive | A Five-Part Professional Development Series for over 200 Yellow Jacket student-athletes.

The five-part professional development series will take place via Zoom this summer and will feature a different guest speaker in each session.

Open to all AU student-athletes, The Hive will provide an opportunity for key insight from some of the top professionals in various industries. Student-athletes will be able to participate in a live Q&A with the main objective of each session being to better prepare for life after college.

"From new student registration to graduation and beyond, the department of intercollegiate athletics must commit to the holistic development of our student-athletes," said Director of Athletics Jasher Cox. "The Hive helps us deliver on our drive of creating Allen University men and women. By creating this three-part learning series, I wanted to make sure our student-athletes are equipped with resources and become empowered to succeed with life after graduating."

Each part of the series will feature a different topic such as "Women in Sports", "How to Become a Pro" and "Steps to Become an Entertainer". 

The five sessions of The Hive are scheduled as follows.

Part One | "How to Become a Pro" | Jay Walker
Part Two | "Women in Sports" | Bria Janelle
Part Three | "How to Become an Entrepreneur" | Christine Wells
Part Four | "Steps to Become an Entertainer" | Roy Wood Jr.
Part Five | TBA

ABOUT JAY WALKER
Jay Walker joined ESPN in 2005 as a college football analyst, and calls HBCU games alongside play-by-play commentator Tiffany Greene.

Walker started his television career with BET and then joined the now defunct MBC Network from 2002-05.

Out of college, Walker was drafted in the seventh round in 1994 by the New England Patriots, where he played for two seasons. He also spent two years with the Minnesota Vikings.

Walker was drafted out of high school to be a pitcher in the California Angles organization's minor league team, one of a handful of players to play both minor league baseball and in the NFL. While playing in the minors, Walker decided to pursue his passion for football and was recruited as a quarterback to Long Beach State and eventually transferred to Howard University after football was cut as a sport at Long Beach. At Howard, Walker led the team to their first playoff berth in team history and was named an All-American, to the All-MEAC Team twice and was the I-AA football player of the year by Sports Illustrated. That year, 1993, Howard earned its only undefeated season in program history.

A native of Los Angeles, Walker is a 1994 graduate from Howard with a political science degree. In 2005, he was inducted into the Howard University Athletics Hall of Fame, and most recently, he was named to the MEAC/SWAC All-Time Greatest Team.

Currently, Walker is CEO and President of Walker Financial Services and has been a member of the House of Delegates in Maryland since 1997. He serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and its education and finance resources subcommittees. He is also a member of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland.

ABOUT BRIA JANELLE
Long before earning the name "Voice of Atlanta Basketball", Bria Janelle has proven that her hard work, talent and dedication are shown both on and off the court.

For the past 10 years, Janelle has worked in the Sports & Entertainment Industry as a Sports Media Talent and most recently named the new In-Arena Host for the Overtime Elite (OTE) League and the Atlanta Dream. She is currently the in-arena host for the McDonald's All-American Game and HBCU ESports League powered by Verizon. Bria has worked as an Emcee + Media Talent for USA Basketball Olympic Exhibition Tour, WNBA All-Star Game, NBA All-Star Weekend, Space Jam: A New Legacy Video Game, Atlanta Hawks, Overtime, Verizon, ESPN, Twitch, XBOX, Footlocker, Nike SNKRS App, House of Hoops by Footlocker, Nike, Jordan Brand, Adidas, Under Armour, Puma, Reebok, Mountain Dew, BET, Social Change Fund, Therabody and Red Bull just to name a few.

During the summer, Janelle serves as the only female center court emcee in the country for the AEBL Hoops NBA Summer Pro-Am. Most recently she hosted the first-ever Nike Zoom Global Signature Sneaker Unveil with Giannis Antetokounmpo. In 2020, she became the first female caster to host the Inaugural HBCU Esports League powered by Verizon on the front page of Twitch. In just 3 months, the stream has reached over 60 Million views and 600 Million watch hours. On Tuesday's and Thursday's, Janelle hosts a nationally syndicated sports segment on Hot 107.9 FM in Atlanta that also airs in 15 Urban One (Formely Radio One) Hip-Hop stations. Janelle is currently the only On-Air female radio talent in the country doing Sports during the 7 pm-midnight time slot. Janelle has been featured in several national publications such as USA Today, ESPN's 'The Undefeated', Harpers Bazaar, Coveteur, Elle Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Sheen Magazine, and more.

ABOUT ROY WOOD JR. 
Roy Wood Jr. joined Comedy Central as a correspondent for the Emmy-nominated The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. In 2021, Comedy Central continued its long-standing relationship with the talented comedian and actor collaborating on two podcasts – Roy's Job Fair and Beyond the Scenes.

Wood's first Comedy Central one-hour stand-up special, Father Figure, debuted in 2017, the same year he was named the new host of Comedy Central's storytelling series, 'This is Not Happening.' His second Comedy Central one-hour stand-up special, Roy Wood Jr.: No One Loves You, which debuted in 2019, remains the network's highest-rated original stand-up premiere. 

Wood has entertained millions across stage, television and radio. Forbes declared he is "One of comedy's best journalists," Entertainment Weekly has described his thought-provoking comedy as "charismatic crankiness" and Variety Magazine named him "One of 10 Comics to Watch in 2016." 

Wood began his comedy career in 1998 at the age of 19 while attending Florida A&M University. In 2006, he debuted on network television on The Late Show with David Letterman. In 2008, he appeared on HBO's historic Def Comedy Jam and was selected by America as one of the top three finalists on Last Comic Standing on NBC. He has appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyer, Conan, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. 

ABOUT CHRISTINE WELLS 
Christine Wells is a native of Jackson, Miss., a veteran of the United States Army and a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Limestone College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration & Marketing. While living in the Columbia area for the last 19 years, Christine has positively impacted the community she now calls home as an entrepreneur, wife, mortgage professional, mother, real estate investor, philanthropist, nonprofit executive and now Realtor.

Before joining Yip Premier Real Estate, Christine established herself as a top producer and consistent million dollar closer in the mortgage industry. After years of helping manage her family's personal real estate holdings, she has now re-entered the real estate business as a Realtor.

For years, Christine has worked in the Columbia, S.C. community helping families secure financing for their homes, helping improve the lives of children and families and is excited to now be apart of the Yip family.