Thirteen Student Athletes Take Part in MAC Leadership Program
7/28/2020 11:43:00 AM | General
KENT, OHIO- Thirteen Kent State student-athletes took part in the Mid-American Conference's (MAC) Transformative Leadership Badge Program, a virtual educational program taught by professors from the MAC's member institutions.
The week-long program ran from July 13-17 and offered student-athletes the opportunities to discover their strengths and weaknesses across a variety of topics and platforms. The program also focused on leadership, critical thinking and other skills that can be applied to any environment and situation.
"This program was eye opening and allowed the student-athletes involved to learn and discuss some very important topics," Kent State softball player Madyson Cole said.
Student-athletes had the opportunity to complete courses in entrepreneurship, digital & data, creativity & design thinking, diversity & inclusion and human-centered change leadership. Those who completed a course earned a badge and completion of all five courses earned a Transformative Leadership badge.
"The MAC Transformative Leadership Program was eye-opening to me because I was challenged to take part in new and difficult conversations surrounding creativity, entrepreneurship, data, diversity, inclusion, and many more general aspects of leadership," Kent State track and field athlete Josh Allen said. "Being in a "room" full of other athletes who all wanted to become better leaders exposed me to so many new viewpoints and made me reevaluate ways I can henceforth not only better benefit my team, but society as a whole."
The inaugural program was created in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and was created to give additional educational opportunities for MAC student-athletes. Twenty professors from the 12 MAC institutions taught the seminars over the week.
"The MAC Transformative Leadership was an experience I'd recommend for anyone looking to broaden their leadership skills and those looking to enhance their knowledge for their future after sports or even now within their teams," Kent State gymnast Nasha Manitkul-Davis said. "We touched on a wide variety of topics and were able to talk freely and knew everyone in attendance was there with a purpose and with an open mind. If there is another one in the future, you can surely count me in!"
The MAC highlighted the week-long program on their social media platforms. To check out the highlights as well as some videos from the participating professors, follow the MAC on Twitter @MACSports or on Facebook @GetSomeMACtion.
