Noelle Meij (Pace), Tim O'Shea (SCSU) and Matt Price (Adelphi) Represented the NE10 at the NCAA SALF.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Three Northeast-10 student-athletes had the opportunity to represent the conference and attend the annual NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum (SALF) that was held April 13-16 in Baltimore, Md.
The NCAA SALF is a four-day leadership program for Divisions I, II and III that serves as a transformational opportunity for student-athletes and administrators to build a leadership toolkit and develop vital self-awareness that allows them to realize their potential. Participants are assigned to a "color team" on the first day with about 30 other attendees, and within those frequent color team sessions, they work in an open environment with trained facilitators to engage in discussions regarding leadership and its many components.
This year the NE10 had three student-athletes participate in what they described as a life-changing experience. The attendees were Noelle Meij of Pace field hockey, Tim O'Shea of Southern Connecticut football and Matt Price of Adelphi men's basketball. We asked each athlete to reflect on their four days in Baltimore and their responses can be found below.
Question: What are your key takeaways from your experience at the NCAA SALF and/or what did you learn about yourself?
Noelle: I gained more knowledge about my communication style, particularly when under pressure, and how to react in challenging and crucial conversations. I also walked away with more knowledge about emotional intelligence and how recognizing and understanding emotions in yourself and others, and the ability to use this awareness to manage your behavior will improve your leadership. A key takeaway I took from this weekend is how there is always room for self-growth and improvement and how it is alright to take a step back and look at the situation from a different perspective.
Tim: This experience introduced me to some amazing student-athlete leaders across the country, and it was a great opportunity to network and learn from them. By talking to these athletes about their teams and organizations, it made me reflect on my leadership abilities and helped me realize what I need to change or new strategies to implement.
Matt: One of my key takeaways from the conference is, being your "true self" allows you to embody all of the aspects that make you a leader in your own unique way. Being your "true self" allows you to be vulnerable with your OWN values, habits, and strengths. Everyone is different and special in their own way and if everyone is able to be their "true self" without judgment, we can ALL lead each other with open minds.
Question: How can you apply what you learned at the forum back on your campus?
Noelle: I would like get all the teams more involved in the community to give back to them. I want to create an environment that focuses on helping each other and the community. I want to pay more attention to giving back to people that need our help and those that have helped us get to the place we currently are. Finally, I want to talk with SAAC about all the key takeaways from this weekend to see how we can put them into practice on our campus.
Tim: We covered a multitude of new leadership applications, however the one that stood out to me the most was about mindset. Embracing adversity rather than settling for an easier alternative is essential for growth, not just individually, but as a team too. By looking at adversity in this light, it will help me as a leader to push through more difficult challenges and carry teammates and peers along with me.
Matt: One way I am going to apply what I learned at the conference on my campus is allowing and showing my "true self" to all and encouraging others to be vulnerable and show their "true self" as well. Eliminate the stigma around vulnerability across all sports.
Question: What are your overall thoughts about your experience at the NCAA SALF?
Noelle: I am so grateful for the opportunity to attend the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum, and I want to thank the NE10 for this amazing opportunity I was given to represent Pace University and the NE10. This forum had a significant impact on me by inspiring, encouraging and equipping me to become a better communicator, leader, and person. I have met life-long friends, made connections and truly learned so much about myself. Everyone embraced the mindset of improving oneself and motivating others to do the same. We started our leadership journey by identifying our core values and our leadership philosophy and by the end of the weekend, I was confident in my leadership goals and the areas where I needed to improve to meet them. By putting these ideas into practice and imparting what I've learned, I now feel more prepared to have an influence on my campus.
Tim: This was overall a life-changing experience, the connections made and lessons learned will last a lifetime. It was an honor to represent the Northeast-10 Conference and Southern Connecticut State University on a national platform.
Matt: My overall thoughts on my experience in Baltimore was that it was truly life-changing. I seriously changed in a positive way in a matter of four days. The people I met from all three divisions across the country as well as administrators, were amazing. I became extremely close with a lot of them especially my color group (orange). I wish everyone was able to have the experience that my peers and I had in Baltimore. Simply amazing.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 13 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
