Staff Spotlight: Shahbaz Ahmed

This is the seventh in a biweekly series spotlighting the men and women behind the scenes supporting Temple Athletics.

Shahbaz Ahmed, who was a four-year letter winner for the football team at Temple, returned to his alma mater as an Academic Advisor for the Temple Athletics department in 2019. In his role, Ahmed works with student-athletes in their pursuit of graduating and moving on in their respective fields.

An offensive lineman, Ahmed played four seasons and 39 career games with Temple Football (2012-2015), including 13 starts during the 2015 season. That season the offensive line was named to the Joe Moore Award Honor Roll as one of the top offensive lines in the country. He was also named the Brooks-Irvine College Football Player of the Year.

The Lindenwold, N.J. native was a mental health technician in Ambler, Pa., for two years before coming to Temple. Immediately after graduation, Ahmed took his talents to the NFL. He spent the summer with the Atlanta Falcons before being waived and signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

During his time as an undergraduate at Temple, Ahmed served as an academic mentor in the Resnick Center for one school year. He also interned for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ahmed earned his degree in political science.

You had a four-year career with Temple Football, when did you start thinking that once your career was over that this field would be your career path?
"I think for me it was something where I had aspirations of playing professionally and I was able to do that for a very short stint. Once that was over, I came across that same conundrum that every student athlete comes across, the "what's next?" aspect of your career.

I ended up trying a range of professions from politics to mental health. Then one day I was sitting in the living room with my mom and talking with her. While we were talking, Justin Miller texted me to see if I knew anyone that made sense for an academic advisor slot that was open. I ended up recommending a bunch of different people but then my mom said, 'Hey, I think he is trying to recruit you to take that spot.'

Long story short I reached back out to Justin and ended up getting that position. I think my main motivation is that I want to be able to give back to the Temple community. I felt that my impact would be greatly felt through the academic side of things because while your sport may last four-to-five years, your degree is a lifetime and that is something no one can take away from you."

While at Temple you also interned for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. What was that like?
"I ended up going to a career fair at the Student Activities Center and met Barbara Delaney. She was a program coordinator at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. I ended up doing an internship during the summer of 2014. I was going into my junior year, and I was seeing myself, as a political science major, working in the government. I saw some value there but as I progressed further along through the internship, I realized that I did not necessarily want to work within the inner workings of government. Politics has always been a big pull for me, but I did not see the amount of value I could bring on a day-to-day basis like we do as advisors.

So, it was more of a learning experience, but something I was grateful that I did and for Ms. Delaney taking a chance on me like she did."

How difficult was it at first, transitioning to a career in academic advising?
"I would say for me, the biggest challenge was learning the curriculum and creating a rapport with the students. While those things take time to build, I did run into some challenges. I was completely green when I entered this profession. I did have some background where I did some academic coaching within the Resnick Center in the Spring of 2016 while I was preparing for my Pro Day. I had that opportunity, but I definitely faced those challenges, learning the curriculum, learning the way that we do things at the Resnick Center. Also learning the students, just building that rapport in supporting them, that trust in that I am here to help and support them especially where it relates to academics. Those were some of my initial challenges, but my philosophy is once a challenge is in my way, I look to find the best way to conquer it."

What do you enjoy the most about working as an academic advisor?
"I love working with the students. The students are what make intercollegiate athletics go. That is from an academic perspective as well as from an athletic perspective. You have a diverse population of students where they have so much potential, and we try and push that and get it out of them every single day. I love working with them and I also like working with our staff. Justin Miller created a tremendous culture and staff here and Tara Evans is doing a great job maintaining that culture. We have a great relationship and I enjoy coming to work every single day seeking to make an impact."

Where do you see yourself in five to 10 years?
"I do see myself moving up in the academic advising field. So, whether it be an assistant director, associate director, or director, I would love to see myself progressing to those roles at some point. Just right now I am so in the moment, helping my students, making sure they maximize their potential. They have strength coaches who maximize their strength to get their bodies ready for competition. I am trying to get their minds ready for academics. I want to maximize their academic potential, pushing them to be the best that they can be."

Temple University Athletics

Staff Spotlight: Shahbaz Ahmed

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