Mia Skuraton remembers the quiet moment above the clouds.
Seated by the window on a flight from Los Angeles to Indianapolis, the Pepperdine track and field senior watched the plane's wing slice through a blanket of white. Four hours earlier, she had boarded alone at Los Angeles International Airport, a backpack slung over one shoulder, trying to quiet the knot in her stomach.
Indianapolis.
She had never been.
Mia Skuraton
The trip was for the NCAA Career in Sports Forum, an opportunity her athletics advisor encouraged her to pursue. It meant traveling across the country alone to a city she had never visited, joining student-athletes she had never met, and entering conversations about careers she hadn't fully imagined yet.
For Skuraton, stepping into unfamiliar places had become her identity.
She grew up in Mendham, New Jersey. Later, she left home to attend boarding school at the Perkiomen School in Pennsylvania, trading the comfort of her hometown for residence halls and early morning practices. In 2022, her journey took another significant turn as she crossed the country, committing to run track at Pepperdine, where the Pacific coastline replaced East Coast winters.
Skuraton describes herself as an "outgoing introvert," comfortable taking on leadership roles but protective of the quiet space where she recharges. Yet inside the NCAA national office lobby, surrounded by student-athletes from across the country, she leaned forward into something new.
At first, she listened. Then she began asking questions. The more she spoke, the more natural it felt.
More than anything, Indianapolis revealed something she hadn't fully recognized before.
"Over the past year, I learned what a powerful tool my voice is, and how many rooms I can get myself into that I deserve to be in just by using my voice," Skuraton said. "How to speak to people to build relationships and move myself along to where I want to go."
One afternoon, the chairs turned toward a stage for an NBA panel.
When Anna Savino Granger, a program manager in NBA player development, described helping athletes navigate life beyond the stat sheet, something clicked. Supporting athletes as people and guiding them through identity beyond performance felt like work she could see herself doing.
After the session, Skuraton introduced herself, asked thoughtful questions and stayed in touch.
Back at Pepperdine, her schedule already reflected an interest in supporting other athletes.
She captains the women's track team while serving as vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and mental health chair for the organization. Between workouts, meetings, and late-night studying, she is completing a double major in psychology and sports medicine.
Months later, reflection deepened at the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum in Dallas.
While Indianapolis had focused on careers, Dallas turned inward. There, conversations centered on values, identity and who athletes are beyond competition.
In those discussions, Skuraton recognized a thread running through her experiences as a team captain, an advocate for mental health and a friend ready to listen during difficult moments.
Service.
Helping people understand who they are before the world tells them who to be.
Graduation from Pepperdine approaches in May, but the lessons from Indianapolis and Dallas continue to guide Skuraton. One expanded her professional vision. The other grounded that vision in purpose.
The destination isn't fully defined yet, but the direction is clear.
"Your morals and values are your compass," Skuraton said. "Being honest about who you are and what matters to you has to come before the external things like careers and accolades."
