Meet Vanessa Lemmon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Lemmon.

Vanessa, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It all started with my personal experience. As a young adult with the great talent and potential to compete at the collegiate level, my Mom and I were unaware of the processes it took to get there in its entirety. Among a series of unfortunate events, I suffered a complete ACL tear with meniscus damage before my Senior year of high school. That is when I knew my road was going to be much more difficult. When the time came, I only qualified for junior college participation due to missing deadlines, spotty grade history, poor test scores and behavioral marks on my high school record. I was recruited by numerous community colleges and decided to attend one here in the valley. The day my family and I drove up from Tucson to sign my letter of intent, I was so grateful for the opportunity to play the game I love and get an education but I was not satisfied. On that rainy ride home, staring out the window, I knew my purpose – to be a resource for young people like me and their families, give them a road map to navigate their successful journey to college, so they do not have to feel the way I felt, lost, discouraged, hopeless, and confused.

While I was bouncing around from one college program to another, I heard stories that sounded just like mine and much worse. I was told stories of missing deadlines and class deficiencies, lack of guidance from coaches and school staff, stories of scholarship and money games, the “go to this junior college down the street first” speech from coaches that “want you to develop another couple years”, stories of student-athletes getting injured and how they were treated. All those stories, all those student-athletes; they keep this fire lit.

After my college playing days were over, I took to coaching. I loved being around the energy, that fresh, eager to learn, competitive, love this game, put me in coach, energy. My first coaching job was in high school and immediately recognized the cracks. As I connected with other coaches and administration the story was the same, they do not have either time, resources, or players/families that care for college readiness. I don’t judge but I believe if you build it, they will come and some things just have to be built. So I began implementing Pursuit activities to my practice plans: team bonding, goal setting, study buddies, academic tracking, and talks about recruitment, exposure and collegiate eligibility. Coaching allowed me direct access to the fundamental shortfalls.

Over the years I toiled and tweaked, stopped hustling, got discouraged, pleaded for people to help me bring my vision to life, found less time, put it out of my mind, worked backward, laid in the fetal position on the floor, sobbing with thoughts like, ” I can’t do this”, “what was I thinking”, “this is never going to take off” but I never gave up. I know so many can relate. It was not until only this year that I cleared those thoughts and the pieces started to come together.

Pursuit was once just noted, in tons of notebooks, on ripped pages wedged and folded up in random spots, in random emails to my Mom and myself, on sticky notes, “it was all a dream”. (Notorious B.I.G.) Now, we conduct Resource Sessions at various high schools across the valley, have a small but mighty client base and are so excited for what’s to come. I am blessed beyond belief.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest challenge and obstacle I have encountered has been understanding that I can’t win them all – You can only lead someone to water, you can’t make them drink.

Please tell us about your work.
Pursuit is not a recruiting service, using Pursuit does not guarantee a student-athlete will get a Division I scholarship. Working with Pursuit does guarantee a student-athlete will have all the tools and knowledge to secure a successful transition from high school to their next phase. Pursuit operates in two ways; 1) conduct information and resources session, free of any cost to hosts and attendees, and 2) consult, one on one with student-athlete and family, at cost by way of flexible subsidy payments discussed at time of registration.

Pursuit conducts resource and information sessions at high schools, community centers and for specific teams. At these group sessions, attendees are given information on various topics such as specific high school graduation requirements, NCAA and NAIA eligibility and recruiting, financial aid, ACT and SAT, job, intern, and apprenticeship opportunities, trade and vocational schools, military options and more. Attendees are also provided materials containing all information covered as well as a list of resources. These resources  are free because the main goal of Pursuit is to educate and empower student-athletes.

If a family is interested in registering for Pursuit, they receive one-on-one consulting and a Strategy Plan (Four Year Plan) tailored to fit their particular needs. The Strategy Plan includes topics introduced in group sessions and all those topics not previously discussed, in extreme detail and specific to each particular stage and case.  We then work together, step by step through the plan until we get to senior year and they are ready for their next phase – whether it be college, securing employment, or other life skills; Pursuit has the resources

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest I have been while on the journey is when I conducted my first resource session in Arizona. That presentation was Pursuits third one, the two before were in done in New Jersey, so to do one in my home state meant so much to me. Next on my list, California.

Pricing:

• P: 8-12 Consulting Hours @ $250.00 – $350.00
• A: 5-7 Consulting Hours @ $150.00 – $250.00
• C: 2-4 Consulting Hours @ $75.00 – $150.00
• Single Assignment @ $50.00