NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum 'Lights the Torch' for 200 Student-Athletes

The NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum was held in late November in Charlotte, NC., where more than 200 student-athletes, coaches and administrators came together to learn leadership skills, complete community service projects and learn about the structure of the NCAA.

This year, what began with a large-scale rock, paper, scissors contest, grew into a meaningful conversation with attendees about the need to come together and help fellow athletes who need support.

The theme of the 2024 conference was ‘Light the Torch.’ According to the NCAA, the nod to the Olympic Games hoped 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.”

Attendees heard from the NCAA’s associate director of leadership development, Mark Trumbo, as well as keynote speaker Kevin DeShazo and others from the NCAA as they discussed what it means to light the torch.

Sneha Sundaraneedi, a member of the West Virginia Wesleyan tennis team, broke down her key takeaways from the conference and said, "It's ok to get your light from somebody that is already glowing. It's ok to ask for help. Have mentors and role models that you can borrow light from and start your own light so that other people can borrow from you.” 

Another attendee, Lucy Mason, assistant director of student-athlete experience at North Carolina Central said, "I've learned the importance of being vulnerable because it allows for my student-athletes to open up to me. As we try to help them be the best version of themselves, we have to show them it's OK not to be OK at times. By being able to be vulnerable, it helps them get more comfortable with us and be the best versions of themselves.”