BLACKSBURG – Building on a successful event from this past spring, the Office of Student-Athlete Development, through the Virginia Tech Athletics Leadership Institute, played host to two more events within the Hokie Women RISE program. The goal of the program is to build community and foster personal growth for female student-athletes. The two events held this fall, one in October and one in November, centered on a theme of: "Empowered Women Empower Women."
On the evening of Oct. 2, female student-athletes gathered for a series of small group activities focusing on the topic of confidence. Those in attendance enjoyed an ice cream sundae bar while reflecting on a "confidence playlist" – the kind of music they listen to while preparing for athletics competition. Athletics staff members Shelby Miller, senior director of student-athlete leadership development, and Ryndee Mitchell, assistant director of student-athlete academic support services, led the group through discussions of channeling their confidence as athletes and using it in other settings, such as in the classroom or socially. Other aspects of confidence that were covered included physical and mental preparation, positive thoughts and self-talk, and choosing positive people to be around.
A little more than a month later, on Nov. 17, Hokie Women RISE played host to a "RISE & Shine Sunday Brunch." This event saw nearly double the attendance with a brunch buffet served, fun ways for student-athletes to connect with each other, and conversations surrounding legacy. One of the activities was a spinoff of Ellen DeGeneres' game "Heads Ups" – each group had five minutes to guess roughly 20 influential women in history with just a picture and short description.
"The teaching point was to give our female student-athletes an awareness and appreciation for women that have paved the way for us in this world in a fun way," Miller said.
The final activity of the morning challenged each student-athlete to reflect on what legacy means to them personally. Miller explained, "We used the iconic words, 'For those who have passed' and 'For those to come,' to think of someone who has left a positive impact on them and then challenged them to reflect and write out their own legacy – how they want to be remembered after their playing days are over at Virginia Tech."
In addition to more than 45 current female student-athletes, there were two student-athlete alumna and three female athletics staff members in the room for current athletes to connect with: former women's golfer Amanda Hollandsworth, former softball player Emma Strouth, Lexi Denny (recruiting/social media assistant and former Radford women's soccer student-athlete), Natalie Forbes (senior director of student-athlete personal development), and Macaulay Soto (director of operations for women's soccer and former Messiah College women's soccer student-athlete).
Hokie Women RISE plans to continue programs such as these in the spring semester to continue to empower female student-athletes.
Gallery: (12/17/2019) HOKIE WOMEN RISE
