For the first time since 2019, Virginia Tech's Leadership Institute decided to reboot its annual summer trip, with this year's trip taking place in the nation's capital.
"The purpose of this trip was to allow our student-athletes a chance to draw connections between service and sport," said Cameron Spera, who is Virginia Tech's Senior Director, Student-Athlete Leadership. "Washington, D.C. has a rich history and culture of sports teams at all levels engaging with their community to make significant change, and it was the perfect setting for this opportunity."
A group of student-athletes – six in total – and two athletic department employees were in Washington, D.C. this Wednesday and Thursday to make an impact on the youth, network with professional sport teams' personnel and learn more about the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.
Who went?
Emma Inch (Swimming and diving)
Sara Killinen (Track and field)
Grace New (Lacrosse)
Jaden Payoute (Football)
Paige Tyson (Lacrosse)
Dave Whitfield (Track and field and cross country)
Cameron Spera (Senior Director, Student-Athlete Leadership Development)
Danny White (Senior Associate Athletic Director, Student-Athlete Services/University Affairs)
To begin the trip on Wednesday, the Hokies went to the Washington Nationals Youth Academy, where the DC Grays play. The Grays are a part of the MLB's RBI program, an initiative to revive youth baseball and softball in inner-cities.
After meeting with the Grays' staff and hearing some stories about the situation before the MLB's initiative, It didn't take long for the group to realize how good they have it at the college level.
"I think my biggest takeaway from this trip comes from our experience with the DC Grays and the RBI program," Tyson said. "It felt like a reality check and a reminder that not everyone has access to the same resources when it comes to sports. We learned that at one point before the DC Grays came in, the kids at the middle school right across the street had to share gloves and leave them after practice so they couldn't even have a catch at home.
"I think sometimes we forget about how lucky we are when we get to a high-level, like college sports, where we're surrounded by a lot of people who didn't necessarily lack access to the sport growing up. I hope to continue to support kids similar to those we met and make an impact."
The Hokies were able to put on a clinic for the kids, ranging from different activity stations to explaining certain rules about the game of baseball, but not before everyone participated in one of Tech's greatest traditions – jumping to Enter Sandman.
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After the clinic, the group took in the Grays game against the Gaithersburg Giants. The two teams compete in the Cal Ripken League, a wood bat college summer league.
Tech started Thursday morning by heading to the Washington Commanders' training facility in Ashburn and got to watch an OTA (organized team activities) practice, before meeting the front office personnel, head coach Ron Rivera and some fellow Hokies, including current players Kendall Fuller, Joey Slye and Logan Thomas.
For most, it was their top moment of the two-day outing.
"My favorite part of the trip was talking to the Virginia Tech alums on the Washington Commanders after practice," Whitfield said. "Being able to talk to them about similarities within our student-athlete experience was awesome, and hearing about their transition from VT to the NFL was also very interesting and inspiring."
"It was really cool to bond with them over similar experiences from Cochrane living to new facilities," Tyson said. "I also enjoyed hearing about how much they've grown since joining the NFL, and hearing how they now have a larger platform and ability to impact their community."
Following their discussion on community engagement and what causes are meaningful to the Commanders, the group went to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and took it all in. The group was tasked to think about some things ahead of time, including how one creates social change and how service and sport can make an impact on a community.
MLK's influence and leadership are still felt today and the group's time partaking in various activities in the nation's capital gives them much to reflect on, as they go back to their normal routines.
"An aspect that I plan on implementing back in Blacksburg is the idea of inclusion," Whitfield said. "More specifically, the idea of getting everyone involved and on the same page to achieve something special."
Gallery: (6-17-2022) DEV: Leadership Institute Washington, DC