POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Three Marist student-athletes – Amanda Guy (women's rowing), Jordan Jones (men's basketball), and Randy Taveras (baseball) – attended the Black Student-Athlete Summit at the University of Texas from Jan. 8-11.
On Jan. 8, a Mental Health Pre-Summit took place, with the summit itself beginning on Jan. 9. From Jan. 9-11, a total of 23 sessions took place, in addition to several opportunities to network each day. The sessions covered a wide range of topics, which included fellowships, black women in collegiate athletics, racial stereotypes in the classroom, hypermasculinity, psychosocial concerns, and communication between white coaches and black athletes.
"Our student-athletes had the chance to hear from and meet so many extraordinary people at the Summit," Marist Director of Student-Athlete Enhancement
Alyssa Gates said. "We are looking forward to seeing what Amanda, Jordan, and Randy will do with what they have learned. I hope Marist can commit to sending student-athletes and staff to this life-changing event every year."
Keynote addresses were delivered by Akilah R. Carter-Francique and John Brown. Carter-Francique, an assistant professor in the Department of Health & Kinesiology at Prairie View A&M, was a track & field student-athlete at the University of Houston. She spoke on Jan. 10. Brown is a former bodybuilder who won two Mr. Universe and three Mr. World championships. All three of his sons earned full college scholarships.
Financial assistance for the student-athletes' trip to Texas was provided by the Marist Diversity Council, the Marist Center for Student-Athlete Enhancement, and the Marist Athletics Department.
Here are quotes from each of Marist's student-athletes who attended:
Amanda Guy, women's rowing
I am extremely grateful to have represented Marist at the Black Student-Athlete Summit this year. Special thanks to Marist CSAE, the Marist Diversity Council, and Marist Athletics. I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to see the world through other people's lenses; recognizing similarities and appreciating the differences. It was truly an eye-opening experience to be in front of so many educated people who share many of the same experiences as me. I got to learn about diversity and inclusion within all aspects of collegiate athletics as inspiring mentors, researchers, and current and former student-athletes told their stories about overcoming adversity to thrive in and outside of their sport. I left this conference with a renewed spirit and I hope to bring back the pieces of knowledge that I have gained and use it to implement true change on campus.
Jordan Jones, men's basketball
The whole experience was great. I interacted with different student-athletes, different professors, different academic advisors, just learning what students at other predominantly white institutions do. What we tried to do at this conference was show people that we're more than student-athletes, and we have other interests outside of the court, the track, or the football field. The networking part of it was beneficial because I got to meet a lot of black PhD students and black PhD professors. I felt comfortable in the situation. They were looking out for me, and they want to get me started on great things.
Randy Taveras, baseball
The summit was a wonderful experience. It was a different way of looking into life and how black student-athletes react and handle things, and also how society tends to look at them. It was great seeing highly educated minorities impacting the country in a positive way. A thing that stood out to me was not attacking society and this country of their wrongdoings, but instead educating them on the wrongdoings and how to improve the community as a whole to create a better world. I had a wonderful time, and enjoyed networking with great people that are top notch role models. I enjoyed my time there, and hope to see this event keep growing in stature.
