POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – This past May, the Marist Athletic Department, IDEA Committee, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Academic Affairs, and the Marist Center for Student-Athlete Enhancement joined together to send 15 student-athletes and six staff members to the Black Student-Athlete Summit in Los Angeles, California from May 23-26.
"Very grateful to head back to the Black Student-Athlete Summit for another year," Marist Associate AD, Director of External Affairs & Chief Diversity Officer for Athletics Harrison Baker said. "It's always exciting to see our student-athletes engage in a tremendous week of learning and networking with their peers. I'm confident that we're bringing back to campus a ton of new ideas and energy that will drive us into the next semester and beyond."
The Black Student-Athlete Summit is an annual four-day power-packed experience for black student-athletes and influencers across athletics. During a packed schedule of sessions, student-athletes learned about topics including investing, social media, the future of DEI, personal branding, and mindfulness. Panelists ranged from student-athletes to professional athletes to Olympians to industry leaders.
"I learned a lot about the awareness aspect of mental health and how it affects student-athletes today and it is something that I am bringing back with me," Marist men's lacrosse goalkeeper Miles Lancaster stated. "I want to make sure that I am spreading to my fellow student-athletes that it is okay to acknowledge your struggles with mental health, and not to downplay any symptoms you might have."
The summit also included a Pro Day networking event with representatives from various career fields including tech, real estate, apparel, law, entertainment, and entrepreneurship.
"I've come to understand how incredible the power of networking is," Marist football running back Tristan Shannon shared. "Many people do amazing things in their respective communities, and you'd never if you didn't take time to reach out and get to know them.
"My favorite session during the week was the 'Leadership Matrix" on day one. It taught us about different individuals' personality types, how they lead, and how those people respond to those types." Marist women's volleyball middle hitter Alyssa White added. "I thought it was a great session to attend as a team member because it helped me understand the different people on the team and how to talk to them to get the best results on and off the court."
- Alyssa White, Volleyball
- Nick Jackson, Football
- Trinity Woods, Volleyball
- Vallane Sneva, Volleyball
- Jackson Price, Men's Basketball
- Rene Barber, Football
- Austin Trimble, Football
- Kolbe Benham, Football
- Miles Lancaster, Men's Lacrosse
- Rechee Smith, Football
- Mohamed Diawara, Football
- Tristan Shannon, Football
- Mylo Lee, Football
- Marcel Stewart, Track and Field
- Suraj Fong, Football
- Alyssa Gates, Director of Student-Athlete Enhancement
- Dr. Aundrea Matthews, Program Director in Marist's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Keegan Wilkinson, Men's Lacrosse Head Coach
- Billy Poole-Harris, Men's and Women's Cross Country & Track and Field Assistant Coach
- Harrison Baker, Associate AD, Director of External Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer for Athletics
- Tyrell Walden-Martin, Associate SID, Social Media Coordinator
