Charlotte, NC - Last week, NCWU's Madison Morrison, Braxtyn Green, and Alexis Whitfield attended the Student-Athlete Leadership Forum. Hosted by the NCAA leadership development staff, the four-day event provided 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.

The forum, held in Charlotte, North Carolina, welcomed over 190 student-athletes, as well as 15 coaches and 50 administrators. Hosted annually, Division I and II conference offices and Division III schools nominate select student-athletes and administrators to attend the forum.

"This forum allows our student-athletes, coaches and administrators to pause from their on-campus and conference activities to take an intensive dive into their leadership and personal development. Over the course of four days, our learners will develop not only skills to excel as leaders in college athletics, but lifelong principles and relationships to lean on for a lifetime," said Mark Trumbo, associate director of leadership development.

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. 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.

This year's program theme, "Light the Torch," a nod to the Olympic Games this past July, aimed to inspire student-athletes to come together, celebrate one another and leave ready to apply and share the lessons learned in the program on their own campuses and out in the world.

Participants heard from the following speakers:

• Keynote speaker Kevin DeShazo, co-founder of Better, talked about resilience and
legacy.

• 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.

• 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.

• Jhanelle Peters, athletic counseling coordinator at Pepperdine, spoke with the
student-athletes about performance anxiety, setting goals and how to make the most
of resources.