Forum inspires student-athletes to light torch of leadership

As over 230 student-athletes, administrators and coaches gathered in small groups Sunday for one final session at the 2024 Student-Athlete Leadership Forum in Bethesda, Maryland, they placed their chairs in a circle and faced one another. When they arrived, they were strangers. Three days later, they share a bond that will remain intact long after they leave the program. For their final activity, they were asked to reflect on the experience. 

"Gratitude." 

"Connectivity." 

 "Growth." 

These words tell the story of four days of transformational programming organized and provided by NCAA leadership development staff. Hosted annually, the Student-Athlete Leadership Forum provides participants with the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of their core values, develop emotional intelligence, embrace vulnerability, grow their personal network and develop leadership skills. Division I and II conference offices and Division III schools nominate select student-athletes and administrators to attend the forum.

"Getting the nomination to attend this program was just so surreal," said Brianna Coates, a sophomore track and field student-athlete at Holy Family. "I think that this forum will definitely affect the rest of my life with college athletics and with my life after sport, too. I've met amazing people who are so motivated and driven. … Just being around these people throughout the day is amazing." 

Building relationships was a key focus of the program and was encouraged through small group activities. Participants were each assigned to a color team with about 30 other student-athletes, coaches and administrators, as well as two trained facilitators, who serve as college athletics administrators on campuses throughout the NCAA membership. Facilitators guided participants through a series of workshops that encouraged introspection and discussion about leadership.

"To be given a space to share your experiences and not be judged is powerful," said Grace O'Shaughnessy, a soccer student-athlete at Georgia Southwestern. "Building relationships has by far been my favorite part of being here."

"Being with new people allows you to be completely vulnerable from scratch," said Atuhaire Ambala, a swimming student-athlete at Grand Canyon. "The facilitators do a great job of enabling that environment for all of us to come together from different parts of the country and the world to learn how we can be better leaders and not only serve people directly on our own teams but also in other walks of life." 

This year's program theme, "Light the Torch," encouraged participants to do just that. A nod to the upcoming Olympic Games, the theme inspired student-athletes to come together, celebrate one another and then leave ready to apply and share the lessons learned in the program on their own campuses and out in the world. 

"I think one of the signs of a great leader is how many leaders you can develop," said Peter Krech, soccer coach at St. Mary's (Maryland) and facilitator at this year's forum. "So not only being able to light your torch, but how do you light the torch of others? And then ultimately, how do you keep those torches lit? We want to be able to light that fire that's sustainable and that can carry over back to campuses and communities and beyond."

Keynote speaker Hazel Clark, director of global sales and business development at the Bermuda Tourism Authority and a former track and field student-athlete at Florida, spoke to participants about how she has applied this mindset of sharing her light and serving others to her work and her life. 

"The only way to be truly legendary is to use your talents and opportunities to light a torch in the lives of others," she said. "Being a leader doesn't mean title and accolades, it means being in the mental space to be able to pour into other people." 

The five-time NCAA champion and three-time Olympian also spoke to the participants about overcoming adversity, coping with performance pressure and applying the lessons learned as student-athletes to the next phases of life. 

"The session that stood out to me the most was with Hazel Clark," said Adeline Mezzanotte, volleyball student-athlete at Belmont Abbey. "Realizing and seeing that even Olympic athletes go through the same thing that a Division II athlete like me goes through is huge. Being able to ask questions and talk to her … it was just amazing." 

Attendees also had the opportunity to attend division-specific governance sessions, participate in a community service activity to support pediatric cancer patients and attend well-being sessions. Nyaka NiiLampti, vice president of wellness and clinical services for the NFL, guided coaches and administrators through a discussion about recognizing and coping with stress, while Jhanelle Peters, athletic counseling coordinator at Pepperdine, spoke with the student-athletes about performance anxiety, goal setting and how to make the most of resources. 

"I think this program will give me a leadership toolbox of things that I can implement back on my team, back at my school and back in the community where I'm from," said Evan Larson, a swimming student-athlete at Rollins. "It has really helped me find what I'm good at and what I bring to the table." 

Keynote speaker Jonathan Sprinkles, founder of the Connection Lab, closed out the program by speaking with participants about how to develop confidence and use their talents and abilities to maximize their potential. He emphasized the importance of leadership, relationship building and connection. 

"I think someone should come to this program because you don't know until you get here how valuable it can be," O'Shaughnessy said. "You leave this program as a rounded leader and individual. It's a very powerful thing to get a group of people from everywhere in one place for four days. And to then discuss leadership and experiences and be better people once you've left, having built connections for life … that's pretty cool."