Aug 9, 2017 3 min read

In March, the South Fayette Athletic Department invited Amy Winokur to speak to 200 of its student-athletes about proper interview techniques.

Winokur, whose business is Talk for Success, focused on the students’ upcoming college admission interviews, something she’s spoken to students at the high school about before.

Her experience that day is what ultimately led her to start a scholarship for South Fayette High School student-athletes.

“I was impressed with everything about South Fayette, so I really wanted to donate some money,” Winokur said. “The kids were so engaging and professional and just really welcoming to me in my lectures.”

The Winokur Student-Athlete Scholarship will be an annual $500 award for two South Fayette student-athletes, one male and one female.

“We are grateful to her not only for her services, but also that she has been very kind to the district,” South Fayette Superintendent Bille Rondinelli said.

Prior to starting Talk for Success in 2015, Winokur worked as an alumni admissions interviewer for Northwestern University. Before that, she was a high school and college English instructor.

While she mostly works with politicians, lawyers and business people at Talk for Success, she preps students as well. Most of her time working with students, though, is when she speaks at schools.

She does this because she witnessed, through her experiences as an admissions interviewer, that the interpersonal skills of students were deteriorating.

“I saw a need for basic interview skills,” Winokur said. “These kids would come to me and would be improperly dressed, they wouldn’t look me in the eye, they wouldn’t shake my hand.”

Winokur has spoken at several other schools in the Pittsburgh area, including Chartiers Valley, Steel Valley and Thomas Jefferson.

“I want these kids to learn,” Winokur said. “I’m really passionate about teaching kids manners and skills that they need, and I think this is needed. These student-athletes have to go through recruitment interviews, and their time is so limited that they haven’t learned the skills that are really needed to put them over the top.”

As an athlete growing up and in college, Winokur believes athletes “get a bad rap.”

“I was inspired by (the South Fayette student-athletes), actually,” she said. “I think student-athletes sometimes are seen as prima donnas. But a lot of them, I think, are really hard workers, not arrogant and are just passionate about the sport. There are some who give bad names to student-athletes, but for the most part, they’re pretty dedicated.”

The scholarship will be presented at the end of the school year to a student who is more than just an athlete, Winokur said.

“I’m looking for a student-athlete who isn’t just committed in the sport, but also in the community,” she said, “(someone who) represents qualities, not just to be successful athletes, but to make them successful in the community.”