Bolin, Cheatham And Fletcher Reflect On NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar

The late great Abraham Lincoln was intelligent and left this country with boundless legacies. One of his most impactful statements during his time on this earth was "the best way to predict the future is to create it."

That is the exact path the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) takes when hosting the annual Emerging Leaders Seminar (ELS). The event aims at professional development for graduate assistants and interns from various schools, conferences, and organizations associated with the NCAA. The three-day seminar creates future collegiate sport professionals from the current, young participants that engage in the virtual sessions.

Now you may be wondering who I am and how do I know so much about the Emerging Leaders Seminar?

Well, let me introduce myself, and you might get a better picture. My name is Regina Bolin, and I am the Athletics Communications Coordinator at Goucher College.

On February 3-5, I attended the Emerging Leaders Seminar for the first time. What makes it great was that I was not the only member from Goucher that attended the event. Jhay Fletcher, women's basketball graduate assistant, and Morgan Cheatham, track and field graduate assistant, also participated in the three-day experience.

The three of us sat down together (virtually) to follow-up on what we learned, enjoyed, and impacted us from the seminar.

Jhay and I agreed that our favorite part of ELS was the Crucial Conversations session with Clemson University's Assistant Director for Student-Athlete Development, Sable Lee. She presented principles and skills to use when approaching tense conversations in the workplace.

"I know it was to help us professionally, but it made me think a lot personally as well," explained Jhay.

I was in 100 percent agreement with her. The roadmap that Sable provided will be instrumental in my professional and personal relationships.

Morgan liked the Real Talk Breakouts and the Networking with Professionals sessions. These were hosted in various Zoom breakout rooms that attendees could pick based on their interests. Experienced college sports administrators shared tips and tricks about navigating the industry and how to find your path.

"Being able to go in there and pick their brains was really cool," said Morgan. "Just asking a lot of questions that you want to ask these kinds of people. It was the perfect opportunity to learn a lot from them."

Jhay attended the coaching breakout groups because one of her professional goals is to become a coach for men's or women's basketball.

"I want to coach," said Jhay. "I am getting my second master's at Goucher because I could not get a job after getting the first master's degree. I decided to do a GA spot. I also like the student-athlete development on the academic side. It would be great if I could do both."

Morgan's journey was not as transparent as Jhay's.

"For me, I was a psychology major in undergrad," explained Morgan. "I wanted to do sports psychology or some kind-of couples therapy. In my gap year, I was a behavioral technician, where I worked with kids with autism and did behavioral therapy with them. I did not feel like it fit me and what I wanted to do."

Going to the breakout rooms was helpful for Morgan because it helped him understand more of the sports information and communication sides. He had some experience during his undergraduate years with sports information. He thinks that is the avenue he wants to try next.

As for me, I am already working in sports information. My internship is both sports information and communication-based. I participated in the same breakout rooms as Morgan so I could learn from those who have been in the industry for a while. My end goal is to be a Sports Information Director at any school or Associate Director of Communications at a Division I school. But, I always keep my options open for any opportunity.

I guess that is where networking from the seminar comes in handy. There are more than 300 participants that are possible connections for us to utilize in our professional network. It had the most impact on me because I did not have many friends or mentors that worked in college sports. Now, I have so many people that I can ask questions to or get job help.

The network of peers had a similar impact on Morgan.

"It prepared me for the next step, and I got a lot of pointers to know what the job field looks like coming out," noted Morgan. "I know how to attack it, and really just understanding what can put you ahead of another candidate was a gem. For me, it can be overwhelming sometimes."

Jhay took the networking opportunity one step further than Morgan or me. She reached out to Jacqie McWilliams, who is the Commissioner of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). In the last session of the seminar, Ms. McWilliams' presentation was titled: "Selfcare leads to Sustainability." She discussed prioritization of self-care and self-management in her presentation:

"I really enjoyed the last segment about self-care," said Jhay. "That is something big for me because I am always go, go, go. It can be a lot and catch up to you. That was a big takeaway, and Ms. McWilliams talked about a lot of great stuff. I have a meeting with her soon, and I am really excited about that."

Connections like these are what ELS aims to provide. American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher Elbert Hubbard said "we work to become, not to acquire." All of the young professionals that attended the Emerging Leaders Seminar are working to become coaches, administrators, athletic trainers, etc., in the collegiate sports industry. However, the seminar has allowed us to acquire the skills and peer relationships to excel us to be the best version of any position we find ourselves in in the future.