Indianapolis, Ind.----Wingate University rising senior middle blocker Maggie Young had the honor to participate in the 2022 NCAA Career in Sports Forum (CSF) that took place June 2 through June 5 at the NCAA National Offices in Indianapolis, Ind. Young joined other select student-athletes from across the country to participate in a series of informational seminars that covered various career opportunities with the NCAA and athletics. The NCAA covered all airfare, hotel and meal expenses for Young throughout her experience in Indianapolis. Young recently wrote about her experience in Indianapolis; below are her thoughts.

Maggie Young, in her own words

Earlier this spring, I was notified that I had been selected from over 900 applicants to participate in the NCAA Career in Sports Forum. I was so appreciative of being nominated by my Coach and Athletic Director, and was excited to participate. The event was held in Indianapolis at the NCAA National Office Headquarters from June 2-5. I wanted to take the opportunity to share my thoughts on this once in a lifetime experience.

The three days that I spent at the Career in Sports Forum were a completely transformative and inspiring experience for me. This annual educational program selected 200 student-athletes including myself from across the country to begin to chart our career paths, network with professionals in the field, and learn about the different careers of athletic professionals. Having so many opportunities to network with my peers and decision-makers at the campus, conference and national level of college athletics was an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life, and the lessons learned from the incredible group I was around I will always remember.

Not only did this teach me about careers I had no idea existed, but also taught me more about myself as a person. We did a lot of reflective work and I was able to find out my personal strengths and how self-awareness can have a role in my professional development. We went through several panels, engaging breakout discussions, keynote presentations and more. I walked away from this with a better understanding of myself and where I fit into the industry's landscape.

One part that I particularly enjoyed was that we completed a Strengths Insight Guide from Don Clifton. Through this assessment, we answered an extensive list of questions, which gave us our five theme strengths. For myself, I got developer, empathy, includer, restorative and positivity. Four of the five of these strengths belong under the concept of relationship-building, and it made it very clear to me that in my future career I definitely want to be interacting with others and choose a path that allows me to utilize these strengths.

Some of my favorite speakers included Brett Kramer, Clyde Doughty, Jr. and Jonathan Sprinkles. Brett Kramer is a part of the Indiana Sports Corp, and works as a part of the sports commission. She brings sporting events to cities as a way to bring in tourists for economic revenue, for example hosting the NCAA tournament. Something powerful that spoke to me from her speech was when she spoke about interviewing people. She asks herself if she would want to see this person's face after working 12-hour days. She also spoke about her passion that drives her. As a former student-athlete, she is a direct product of the system, and wants to give back the experience to future athletes. She was an incredible speaker and I really enjoyed hearing her.

Clyde Doughty, Jr. was another impressive person I got to hear from who was really inspiring. He spoke about how "life is a moment of opportunity," and that we need to see change as a positive because things might get better. He also spoke about how belief in yourself is more important than anything else, and that success is being the best that I can be, not being better than others. This was the first keynote presentation on the first day, and it really kicked off our experience with an inspiring speech. His energy and passion was contagious throughout the room.

The final speaker I wanted to talk about was Jonathan Sprinkles. I have over a page full of notes from his speech. He is one of the most powerful and incredible speakers I have ever witnessed in my life. His speech focused a lot on mentality and attitude. He spoke on how powerful love and gratitude can be, and how it is a multiplier, and allows others to continue those feelings. He talked about being irrationally passionate, and finding your gift meant to discover the thing that gives you the greatest result with the least amount of effort. He wanted us all to try to be like thermostats instead of thermometers. Thermometers just give a reflection of the environment around it, waiting for the room to change before showing the result. Thermostats change the room, make things happen, and make their presence known.

Sprinkles also was passionate about making sure we recognized that our story is more than me being a volleyball player, it is also about who I am as a person, and the impact that I leave on people's lives. We cannot live in fear of failure; we are born an original so why would we want to be a copy of something. All of these statements and more from his speech really resonated with me, and made me value more things about myself while also wanting to be a better version of myself for others. I got to have a very genuine conversation with him after his speech, where we discussed how powerful bringing love and positivity in the world can be, and just doing small things to make someone's day a little better can be so much to them. Getting to speak with him inspired me to want to go out and be a light in the world.

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I had to witness these incredible speakers. Hearing from professionals in the industry at all levels, and then the network that I now have with these professionals and my peers, made this a once in a lifetime experience. The brief time that I had at this forum provided me with unforgettable lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Wingate University
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a laboratory of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina. Wingate offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as eight master's and five doctoral degrees. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences; the Levine College of Health Sciences; the Byrum School of Business; and the College of Professional Studies, which includes the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Wingate is a leader in healthcare education, and nearly one in five Wingate undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 25 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award for 14 years straight. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.