SAN ANTONIO — Last week,
Stela Sifuentes a junior Women's Tennis student-athlete at St. Mary's University, attended the Student-Athlete Leadership Forum. Hosted by the NCAA leadership development staff, the four-day event allowed participants 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.
Sifuentes, a junior from Eagle Pass, Texas, is the current Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president and has previously represented St Mary's at the Lone Star Conference SAAC Retreat. She also completed a Sports Information Internship with Rattler Athletics last spring. "Thank you to the NCAA for setting up this forum," said Sifuentes, "I cannot emphasize how much this journey has changed my life and how much I plan to impact the lives of others with what I've learned."
"I am really happy that Stela had an opportunity to attend the NCAA Leadership Forum," said Executive Director of Athletics Robert Coleman. "As the president of our Student Athletic Advisory Committee, it provided her an opportunity to grow her leadership skills along with building her personal network. The event provides a great experience and helps each individual better understand their core values."
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.
Reflecting on her key takeaways from the program, Sifuentes said, "I've learned how to effectively use my emotional intelligence, and that vulnerability isn't a weakness, but a strength. I've learned how to harness my leadership strengths and plan on using them in my future endeavors to make an impact."
