DAVIS, Calif. - In 2020, UC Davis Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA) became the first college athletics program in the country to partner with Project Destined, an outcome-focused initiative that exposes students from underrepresented groups to the commercial real estate industry through an engaging and highly effective internship experience. Keying in on ownership, investing and financial health, Project Destined combines virtual learning, live training, and project-based experiences to develop students over an eight-week term. By the conclusion of the program, students are versed in identifying, analyzing, and acquiring commercial real estate.
 
"ICA's internship program with Project Destined is one of the most intentional career development impacts in the country for student-athletes," said Courtney Randall, ICA's Chief Diversity Officer. "Creating a pathway to pipeline Black student-athletes into a competitive industry such as commercial real estate is a signature initiative, as our program continues to prioritize inclusion and development for our student-athletes."
 
The ICA and Project Destined partnership was birthed through the quick thinking and activation of former UC Davis Men's Basketball student-athlete, Jordan Moss. Moss, who now serves as the CEO of Catalyst Housing Group was motivated to respond to the social justice tragedies of 2020 with something that would have lasting impact. From there, Moss contacted Cedric Bobo of Project Destined and began the process of game planning with ICA staff to implement the groundbreaking program at UC Davis. Designed to specifically target Black student-athletes for participation, the first ICA and Project Destined cohort launched in the fall quarter of 2020 with a group of eight student-athletes. Since then, ICA has successfully introduced over 50 student-athletes to the world of commercial real estate through its partnership with Project Destined. Bobo has worked with hundreds of institutions, corporate firms, and professional sports organizations to develop thousands of students, but still notes UC Davis as a standout program to work with.
 
"The partnership with UC Davis created the pathway for us to work with student-athletes around the country," said Project Destined Founder, Cedric Bobo. "Student-athletes possess an incredible combination of drive, discipline and intellect that will build a powerful pipeline of talent for the commercial real estate industry."
 
Over three short years, several Aggie student-athletes have gained highly competitive internships, established professional networks, and landed full-time positions in the industry. Sparked by the success of the student-athlete cohorts at UC Davis, Moss, Bobo, and ICA staff convened once again, this time adding founder of the Black Student-Athlete Summit, Dr. Leonard Moore to the mix. What came from this meeting was a plan to expand the Project Destined program to incorporate cohorts of Black student-athletes nationwide. In May of 2023, the Project Destined team along with program alums, and key partners of the program showed up to the Black Student-Athlete Summit in full-force. UC Davis Chancellor Gary May, UC Davis Football and Project Destined alum, Darius Livingston, and Bobo took center stage on the third day of the summit to talk about the impact the program has had at UC Davis. After receiving overwhelming interest from student-athletes at the summit, the Project Destined Black Student-Athlete Program kicked off in July 2023 with participation from over ten institutions, including UC Davis, Georgetown University, Central Michigan University, Western Michigan University, Washington State University, University of Missouri (Columbia), UC San Diego, Morgan State University, University of Louisville, Berry College, and Oklahoma Panhandle State University.
 
"It has been three years since Catalyst first partnered with UC Davis and Project Destined to launch revolutionary educational programming dedicated to the empowerment of Black student-athletes," said Jordan Moss, founder, and CEO of Catalyst Housing Group. "Expanding this platform, in collaboration with the Black Student-Athlete Summit, will provide tangible pathways for thousands of Black student-athletes to pursue successful careers in commercial real estate. We are incredibly grateful to the academic institutions and financial sponsors who have made this all possible on a national scale and look forward to witnessing the continued diversification of commercial real estate talent pools."
 
Project Destined has introduced a unique model for developing Black student-athletes and pipelining them into a competitive industry. In true Aggie fashion, ICA was first in line to help build the template, that will now educate Black student-athletes across the nation. Participating in the Project Destined program is one of the ways that ICA can display its commitment to developing Black student-athletes and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion throughout its program. The Aggies look forward to even more impact as it continues its partnership with Project Destined.