I recently had the amazing opportunity through Columbia University Athletics to attend the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) rally.

The First-Time Attendee Workshop was an essential space that I was able to better understand what NACWAA was about and all of the resources that were available to its members.  Prior to attending I honestly knew little about the organization, but gained a greater appreciation for the resources that I previously was unaware of.  Many of which I know will help me better in my professional journey.

The NACWAA group provided us with an awesome platform of keynote speakers including:

1. Amy Cuddy: Social Psychologist, Harvard Business School & Public Health Associate Professor
2. Sarah Robb O’Hagan: Executive, Activist and Entrepreneur
3. Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour: America’s first African American Female Combat Pilot

Each speaker provided an intricate way of highlighting the trending themes of the rally: (1) be your authentic self, (2) be present, and (3) uplift other women.  One statement that stood out from Amy Cuddy’s presentation was, “When you are not present, you hide your competence and your warmth.”

The workshops allowed us to explore many areas of collegiate athletics such as revenue generating, working with your campus community, analytics application, work-life balance, and student-athletes welfare, as well as many others.  Within the student-athletes welfare workshop I appreciated how Oregon State University applied Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to how they structure their holistic approach to student-athlete wellness within their apartment.  So
mething that I look forward to exploring a little more to hopefully apply certain tools presented within our department.

All and all the opportunity to be apart of this event and to be in the presence of some of the most influential women in our setting, as well as the men that came to support these women was a pleasure.  I look forward to getting more involved in the organization and plan to attend the NACWAA Leadership Symposium.  I welcome the opportunity to further develop my leadership in intercollegiate athletics and administration, as well as enrich my skills and expand my network.

I hope that more women take the opportunity to  be able to attend this rally and be exposed to such great resources such as I was. I look forward to sharing my experiences and resources  that I attained from this experience. Continue reading →