Six Spiders and their Experiences at the Black Student-Athlete Summit, hosted by USC
06/07/2023 | Football, Women's Lacrosse, Women's Soccer, Men's Basketball
Los Angeles, Calif. – A group of six student-athletes from the University of Richmond traveled to California to take part in the Black Student-Athlete Summit hosted by the University of Southern California. Courtney Hughes, the Assistant Director for Academic Support and Civil Engagement joined the group in their travels.
JoJo McShane (Women's Soccer), Fonnae Webb (Football), Maddy Sesay (Women's Lacrosse), Isaiah Bigelow (Men's Basketball), Logan Anderson (Women's Soccer) and Quentin Southall (Men's Basketball) joined forces to take part in the large learning experiences that were presented at the summit.
Founded by Dr. Leonard Moore, the Black Student Athlete Summit brings together more than 1,200 Black Student-Athletes, professionals, and influencers from the world of college athletics to ensure greater support for Black Student-Athletes in the classroom and beyond so they can be globally competitive in the job market. The schedule included numerous networking experiences for student-athletes to meet one another, as well as leading professionals in the collegiate athletics and professional sports spaces.
When asked, "What from this trip have you taken away that will help you and those around you in your academic and athletic careers", JoJo McShane (Women's Soccer) stated " I was able to meet a sports agent in one of the Pro-Day Networking sessions. His name is Jordan Thompson, and he had the opportunity to go to law school and then went on to become an NFL Sports Agent. I am interested in broadcast interviewing and the journalism aspect of a professional sports team, so I was able to speak with Jordan about his career experiences. Jordan and I are now connected on LinkedIn and he offered to help me get started with contacting professional sports teams…I was ecstatic and am so grateful for this experience".
Presenting the question of "What has been your favorite moment/s from this trip?", Fonnae Webb (Football) said this, "My favorite moment was connecting with people who look like me and talking to them and giving them the support that they need and vice versa. Being able to see so many faces that look like me that are successful was amazing because there wasn't a disconnect. We all understood each other's struggles and if we didn't we tried to as best as possible without the feeling of being judged or overlooked".
Maddy Sesay (Women's Lacrosse) was asked, "What piece of advice could you spread to all student-athletes after attending the summit". Maddy responded "I would definitely say listening to people stories, and being conscious of the narrative that you are narrating for yourself rather it is a positive one or negative one. Seeing how that determines how your life will be for as long as you have that narrative. Having a positive narrative will present you with more opportunities, more doors will be opened for you compared to having a negative narrative. You are not limiting your opportunities".
When asked, "What does it mean to you to have the opportunity to travel in this group of 7? Can you explain the support that you all have for one another", Isaiah Bigelow (Men's Basketball) stated "This was a great opportunity! Everyone I went on the trip with was amazing and was able to have great conversations throughout the trip. We also looked out for one another on this trip! Utilize the resources we have right here in Athletics. Mrs. Courtney is a tremendous resource that guided us throughout the experience, pushing us to step outside of our comfort zones".
Logan Anderson (Women's Soccer) was also asked "What does it mean to you to have the opportunity to travel in this group of 7? Can you explain the support that you all have for one another" as she responded "The Black Student-Athlete Summit is a once in a lifetime opportunity for students of color. Not only are we afforded the opportunity to visit another college campus outside of the conference we compete in, but we are essentially handed a 4-day HBCU experience. There is truly nothing like it. We had the opportunity to meet 1000+ black student-athletes and professionals who we may have never ever crossed paths with in our lifetime. Words cant properly express how special this moment was for our group. Having attended last year and seeing the growth from the conference at Rice University to USC was incredible as well. I saw familiar faces and met so many new people who look like me, play my sport, and have similar ambitions, which is so inspiring. Especially as students of a predominately white institution, where we find ourselves to be the minority on our campuses, having an opportunity to be surrounded by hundreds of student athletes of color is such a special experience. This group of 7 in particular was special because we come from different sports, parts of the U.S., and different walks of life. We were even diverse in our racial backgrounds.
Having the opportunity to travel in this group of 7 means the world. Not all of us were super close at first, but this trip allowed us to get to know and understand each other much better. We left with even stronger friendships within our own group as well as the friendships we found in other students from schools across the country. I think the support that our group has for one another is special because of how small our school is and how small our BIPOC population is. Now that we know each other even better, our relationships on campus are going to be much stronger".
Presenting the question "Any other points of importance? Tell us more about this experience if you can", Quentin Southall (Men's Basketball) stated "This experience at the Black Student-Athlete Summit was a blast. After attending the summit last year in Houston, which was the largest to date, this year the summit was even larger. The record-breaking attendance of over 1,200 student-athletes and faculty representing more than 170 colleges and universities was a testament to the growth and significance of this summit. The wide range of sessions and forums addressed important topics that gave a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities faced by black student-athletes. The networking opportunities and connections I made during this event will have a lasting impact on my academic and athletic journey. I am grateful for the support of the organizers, sponsors, and my fellow attendees who made this experience so enriching and empowering".
Courtney Hughes, the Assistant Director for Academic Support and Civil Engagement stated "The Black Student-Athlete Summit provided a unique opportunity for Spider student-athletes to engage, connect, and network with over 1,500 other participants who were in attendance from institutions all over the United States. Our student-athletes were able to listen, learn, and feel empowered as they discussed the black-student experience".
For updates on other experiences, follow @spiderathletesofcolor and @spiderchampions on Instagram.
JoJo McShane (Women's Soccer), Fonnae Webb (Football), Maddy Sesay (Women's Lacrosse), Isaiah Bigelow (Men's Basketball), Logan Anderson (Women's Soccer) and Quentin Southall (Men's Basketball) joined forces to take part in the large learning experiences that were presented at the summit.
Founded by Dr. Leonard Moore, the Black Student Athlete Summit brings together more than 1,200 Black Student-Athletes, professionals, and influencers from the world of college athletics to ensure greater support for Black Student-Athletes in the classroom and beyond so they can be globally competitive in the job market. The schedule included numerous networking experiences for student-athletes to meet one another, as well as leading professionals in the collegiate athletics and professional sports spaces.
When asked, "What from this trip have you taken away that will help you and those around you in your academic and athletic careers", JoJo McShane (Women's Soccer) stated " I was able to meet a sports agent in one of the Pro-Day Networking sessions. His name is Jordan Thompson, and he had the opportunity to go to law school and then went on to become an NFL Sports Agent. I am interested in broadcast interviewing and the journalism aspect of a professional sports team, so I was able to speak with Jordan about his career experiences. Jordan and I are now connected on LinkedIn and he offered to help me get started with contacting professional sports teams…I was ecstatic and am so grateful for this experience".
Presenting the question of "What has been your favorite moment/s from this trip?", Fonnae Webb (Football) said this, "My favorite moment was connecting with people who look like me and talking to them and giving them the support that they need and vice versa. Being able to see so many faces that look like me that are successful was amazing because there wasn't a disconnect. We all understood each other's struggles and if we didn't we tried to as best as possible without the feeling of being judged or overlooked".
Maddy Sesay (Women's Lacrosse) was asked, "What piece of advice could you spread to all student-athletes after attending the summit". Maddy responded "I would definitely say listening to people stories, and being conscious of the narrative that you are narrating for yourself rather it is a positive one or negative one. Seeing how that determines how your life will be for as long as you have that narrative. Having a positive narrative will present you with more opportunities, more doors will be opened for you compared to having a negative narrative. You are not limiting your opportunities".
When asked, "What does it mean to you to have the opportunity to travel in this group of 7? Can you explain the support that you all have for one another", Isaiah Bigelow (Men's Basketball) stated "This was a great opportunity! Everyone I went on the trip with was amazing and was able to have great conversations throughout the trip. We also looked out for one another on this trip! Utilize the resources we have right here in Athletics. Mrs. Courtney is a tremendous resource that guided us throughout the experience, pushing us to step outside of our comfort zones".
Logan Anderson (Women's Soccer) was also asked "What does it mean to you to have the opportunity to travel in this group of 7? Can you explain the support that you all have for one another" as she responded "The Black Student-Athlete Summit is a once in a lifetime opportunity for students of color. Not only are we afforded the opportunity to visit another college campus outside of the conference we compete in, but we are essentially handed a 4-day HBCU experience. There is truly nothing like it. We had the opportunity to meet 1000+ black student-athletes and professionals who we may have never ever crossed paths with in our lifetime. Words cant properly express how special this moment was for our group. Having attended last year and seeing the growth from the conference at Rice University to USC was incredible as well. I saw familiar faces and met so many new people who look like me, play my sport, and have similar ambitions, which is so inspiring. Especially as students of a predominately white institution, where we find ourselves to be the minority on our campuses, having an opportunity to be surrounded by hundreds of student athletes of color is such a special experience. This group of 7 in particular was special because we come from different sports, parts of the U.S., and different walks of life. We were even diverse in our racial backgrounds.
Having the opportunity to travel in this group of 7 means the world. Not all of us were super close at first, but this trip allowed us to get to know and understand each other much better. We left with even stronger friendships within our own group as well as the friendships we found in other students from schools across the country. I think the support that our group has for one another is special because of how small our school is and how small our BIPOC population is. Now that we know each other even better, our relationships on campus are going to be much stronger".
Presenting the question "Any other points of importance? Tell us more about this experience if you can", Quentin Southall (Men's Basketball) stated "This experience at the Black Student-Athlete Summit was a blast. After attending the summit last year in Houston, which was the largest to date, this year the summit was even larger. The record-breaking attendance of over 1,200 student-athletes and faculty representing more than 170 colleges and universities was a testament to the growth and significance of this summit. The wide range of sessions and forums addressed important topics that gave a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities faced by black student-athletes. The networking opportunities and connections I made during this event will have a lasting impact on my academic and athletic journey. I am grateful for the support of the organizers, sponsors, and my fellow attendees who made this experience so enriching and empowering".
Courtney Hughes, the Assistant Director for Academic Support and Civil Engagement stated "The Black Student-Athlete Summit provided a unique opportunity for Spider student-athletes to engage, connect, and network with over 1,500 other participants who were in attendance from institutions all over the United States. Our student-athletes were able to listen, learn, and feel empowered as they discussed the black-student experience".
For updates on other experiences, follow @spiderathletesofcolor and @spiderchampions on Instagram.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Men's Basketball
M
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Lacrosse
G
/ Men's Basketball
RB
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