Fox student-athlete spotlight
Temple Soccer:
Xavier Rimpel
In our latest Q&A series, we highlight the student-athlete experience at Fox.
By Ethan Duer
Photo courtesy of Temple Athletics
Q&A with Fox
A member of the Temple Owls men’s soccer team, Xavier Rimpel told us about his student athlete experience at Fox. A native of Ontario, Canada, Rimpel explained his family’s ties to the university, the resources he’s found within Philadelphia and his athletic and personal goals for this academic year.
Name: Xavier Rimpel
Sport: Men’s Soccer
Hometown: Ajax, Ontario (Vaughan SC)
Major: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Marketing
Favorite student-athlete memory: “Scoring a goal and having two assists in a 3-2 defeat against Villanova this season!”
What does it mean to you to be a student-athlete at the Fox School of Business?
Representing the Fox School as a student-athlete has been extremely fruitful in both personal and professional development. Being a student-athlete has taught me many lessons of perseverance, resiliency and personal growth. The classroom has taught me valuable business concepts and knowledge application. Both experiences have shaped me in ways that I would not have imagined!
What was your decision process like when choosing to attend Fox?
My decision process was actually quite simple. Being from Canada, I sought to attend a school in the United States where I could utilize an athletic scholarship. From the moment Temple reached out to me, I was sold on wanting to attend here. Another big reason for wanting to attend Temple is that my father played one semester of football here and never completed his studies—so I was driven to finish what he had started. I’ve also been very passionate about business and knew I wanted to study it. It was a perfect fit across many aspects.
How has the Fox School supported your pursuits as a student-athlete?
I feel very supported by Fox in my efforts to be the best student and student-athlete I can be, particularly by the professors. Fox professors are great at communicating with me and expressing their understanding of my busy athletic schedules. A professor I would especially like to showcase would be my entrepreneurship professor, Alan Kerzner. Professor Kerzner has not only helped me balancing my time between athletics and academic pursuits, but he has also become a huge advocate in terms of getting involved with my professional development as a whole. He really pushed me to get involved in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute which resulted in two marketing internships: one with the company Momentum Digital as a digital marketing intern and the other being here at Fox as a social media marketing intern.
Xavier Rimpel (center, #7) on the field. (Photo courtesy of Temple Athletics)
“When I view my life beyond Temple I would like to balance a triple life: professional athlete, business employee and entrepreneur.”
How will your student-athlete experience benefit you beyond your time at Temple?
Being a student-athlete at Fox will definitely help me beyond my time here! In addition to already having many connections, the business school environment pushes you to foster a mentality of putting yourself out there and ensuring that you are building a network of external and internal resources. Being within Philadelphia, many of those resources I’ve found are fortunately influential individuals within the business community of the city.
What would you say to a prospective student-athlete who is considering coming to Temple?
I would strongly recommend the Temple student-athlete experience to anyone, particularly those looking to study at the Fox School. Not only do we as a men’s soccer program compete at a very high level of athletic competition in the American Athletic Conference, but Fox offers a business school curriculum that is both innovative and relevant to the current trends. Not to mention the city of Philadelphia is a vibrant place with a rich culture that affords business students that chance to forge strong professional relationships.
What academic and athletic goals do you have for this year?
My goals are to complete my graduation with at least a 3.5 GPA. On a personal level, I wish to grow my barber business and social content for that business—it is a huge passion of mine! When I view my life beyond Temple I would like to balance a triple life: professional athlete, business employee and entrepreneur. All of that is a lot to achieve but this community has given me the confidence that I can achieve it.
Student-Athletes at Fox
Each academic year, a select group of students from Temple University’s Fox School of Business represents the school in a place beyond the classroom: NCAA collegiate athletics.
Participating across a variety of Temple Athletics programs, the Fox School is proud to be the academic home for many student-athletes.