Virginia Tech Student-Athlete Development held its first-ever Elevate Her women's leadership event on Tuesday, Oct. 11 inside the Student-Athlete Performance Center.
The event focused specifically on the benefits of being a woman in athletics, and how to transition certain skills from their collegiate experience to a leadership role in their day-to-day lives.
"Holding [this type] of event was a really special experience," senior director for student-athlete leadership development Cam Spera said. "We have not held a women's-specific event in a few years, so getting to plan an event that focused on this group was exciting. It was a great way to kick off what we plan to be many more years of women's programming in Tech athletics."
The event also featured keynote speaker Bridget Ryan Berman, a 1982 Tech graduate that serves as a successful business leader at the professional level and helped found The Hokie Way.
"I was honored and also grateful to have had the opportunity," Ryan Berman said. "It says a lot about our athletic department and the student-athletes who care deeply about their personal development.. Like many Virginia Tech alums, I've been fortunate to have enjoyed a fulfilling career. Talking with the young women and sharing experiences, including my choices and
obstacles, was incredibly gratifying."
Ryan Berman's speech focused on a multitude of different topics, allowing multiple student-athletes to gather different takeaways from the event.
"Her experience and expertise brought a really interesting perspective to the program and I think a lot of student-athletes were able to connect with her on multiple levels that maybe they didn't expect," Spera said. "Students and staff alike walked away with helpful advice that hopefully left them inspired to be a woman at Virginia Tech. My hope was that the student-athletes were able to see Bridget as someone who had been in their shoes as a student at Tech. She was able to utilize her experience here and the connections she made to establish herself in the field of business and beyond.
"Even though she's had such an amazing professional career, I think she was relatable to everyone in the crowd."
For graduate member of the swimming and diving team Emma Inch, that certainly was the case.
"I was telling my friends just how she had this very respectable confidence and I think confidence is something women kind of stray away from," Inch said. "Being able to provide an event where women can feel more comfortable to discuss the struggles we've had not only in sport, but also throughout school was really cool. To hear from an alumna who's just so incredibly accomplished was really inspiring."
Junior member of both the track and field and cross country teams Chase Kappeler echoed similar thoughts, with the event serving as an eye-opening opportunity for how to lead in the future.
"She really mentioned talking about knowing your strengths that you bring to a group or to a team or to whoever you may be working with," Kappeler said. "But even more importantly, kind of recognizing the weaknesses, too, and being open to feedback and criticism. So I think that's something that's super important. She also brought up that there's quiet leaders, and there's also more talkative, extroverted leaders.
"Both people need to be kind of elevated in order to be successful and lead others."
For Ryan Berman, it was all about inspiring the next generation of women's leadership, and passing on what was learned during her time in Blacksburg.
"I had the chance to share a meal with the student-athletes before the event and then stayed afterward to talk with several attendees," Ryan Berman said. "Many have reached out since. I want them to know how enthusiastic our alums are to lend support while at school and once they graduate. It was also helpful to share stories about my development and the meaningfulness of leadership when it came to influencing culture and community.
"Each of us has the opportunity to have an impact, and Virginia Tech prepared me well for that journey."
