By Harris Eisenberg

Not many graduates can say they went on to work for the university they studied at. However, Davis Shoener is one of those select few that return to campus.

Shoener accepted his first job out of college this past summer, working for HPU’s Campus Concierge. The 23-year-old from Greensboro, North Carolina graduated with a Master’s degree in the spring of 2021, after obtaining his Exercise Science degree in 2020.

“I was just looking for jobs to use my degree in,” said Shoener. “I had a couple offers, but didn’t like them. So, I found High Point and this job they were offering and started in the summer.”

Shoener’s main duties are to answer any questions students or parents have about anything occurring on the campus. While it isn’t exactly a “dream job” working as part of the HPU staff, it keeps him in a familiar environment that feels like home.

“Being on campus is something that I enjoy,” said Shoener. “Switching over to the staff side, there’s a whole different side of campus that I see.”

Tanner White, a co-worker of Shoener, elaborates on Shoener’s work ethic.

“His job is crazy,” said White. “The guy does it and does it well.”

Shoener benefits from still being around campus not only as an employee, but also gets to be involved in extracurricular activities that he participated in as a student. Particularly, club baseball, a team where he was a five-year starter and captain. He now serves as an assistant coach helping with hitting and base running. Over 30 players are part of the team, most of which played alongside Shoener.

Trevor Lodi, a senior catcher, loves the opportunity to still work with Shoener.

“It’s the first coach I’ve had that’s someone that I’ve played with, so I feel like he understands us more,” said Lodi. “We’ve went through it together so it’s easy to listen to. He has good insight on what we want. He was a great player and someone I could always trust.”

Shoener now shares his baseball wisdom with a team that he led in hitting last year, batting .395 with 11 RBIs. Coaching had always been something on his radar during his playing days as he was always willing to help his teammates while playing.

“Coaching is definitely a big adjustment to make,” said Shoener. “As a coach, you have to be confident in what you do and lead the new guys to show them what it’s like to be on the team.”

Not only do his former teammates love having him around the field every day, but so do his new co-workers.

“Working with Davis is like working with a brother,” said White. “He brings a personality to the table that is unmatched and he’s a big reason why I, myself, am staying after graduation.”

It’s safe to say that not only Shoener enjoys still being involved on campus, but many others enjoy having him around as well.

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Harris Eisenberg is a senior at High Point University majoring in sports media with a minor in sport management. For contact inquiries, please email heisenbe@highpoint.edu.