Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education is proud of the work that our staff do on and off the ice. In order to spotlight the outstanding effort they put into the organization, we regularly interview a staff member about their time with Snider.
Our latest Staff Spotlight features Vivian Chace, Postsecondary Advisor. Vivian meets with middle and high school students across all of our rinks, providing guidance on how to pursue educational and postsecondary opportunities.
What made you want to get into your role in the first place?
Snider’s mission is what drew me to the program. The almost ritualistic aspect hockey can take on can be such a grounding force, and to build a community around that while making the game accessible to everyone-in every sense of the word-is something I am deeply invested in.
How did you first get involved with Snider?
I remember hearing about Snider Hockey for the first time during an NBC pregame feature about Mr. Snider’s life when I was in high school, so it had been on my radar for a while. But I was inspired to actually apply by a friend I had played peewee hockey with. I hadn’t seen him since we were kids, but our parents put us in touch when he was visiting Philly. His sister was working with Snider’s development team, she said I would be a great fit, and I look forward to my third season next year.
What is your favorite part about being a Postsecondary Advisor?
My favorite part of being a postsecondary advisory is being a resource for our players. Choosing a high school or figuring out how to approach applying to college are big decisions. Whether it’s through helping our players stay on track with our check ins, proofreading school & scholarship applications, or walking players & their families through our scholarship programming, the fact that I can do anything to relieve some of their pressure or stress is gratifying.
What is your favorite memory with Snider?
I really love the Academic All-Star Game but the final game of the SHL high school season at Sims last year will always hold a special place in my heart. It was earlier in the day and warm-very much not hockey weather. I remember seeing some of the seniors from Simons joking around with players from Sims before heading to their locker rooms and thinking that this perfectly captures what I love about Snider. They could be anywhere else, doing anything else but they choose to get up and drive halfway across the city on a beautiful morning so they could play hockey with their friends. You knew that they were there for love of the game.
What do you feel is an important skill to have to succeed in your role?
Persistence. Between hockey and school, I know Snider athletes are incredibly busy, and that sometimes they can be difficult to pin down for meetings. But at the same time, you hate to think of a player missing out on a golden opportunity because they didn’t know about the options available to them. To ensure this doesn’t happen I’ve tried to ingrain myself at the rinks I work with so conversations with me feel like a natural part of life at Snider, rather than something extra on top of hockey practice.
What advice do you have for someone just starting out with their career, either in your field or not?
It’s worth investing the time and effort to discover what you truly want to do. There are a million reasons to choose a job-the financial rewards, it makes use of a skill you love, or maybe it lines up with your passions or values. Ideally, it’s a combination of all three, but no choice is inherently better than the next. You just want to make sure you’re choosing something that you want regardless of why you might want it. It’s also important to remember that you can change your mind at any point and pursue something else. But when you are pursuing whatever it is you set your mind to, make sure you’re totally committed. In most cases getting somewhere meaningful is going to take significant effort, and you’ll hardly get anywhere you want to be with a trail of half measures behind you.
What accomplishment are you most proud of at Snider?
Helping our players take the initiative in their academic careers. It’s incredibly rewarding to play a part in connecting our players with the life-changing resources Snider has to offer. To know players who come to us for hockey are now actively excited about waking up and learning because of Snider, and to know I played any role in that, is as humbling as it is fulfilling.
