Memphis, Tennessee ~ Rhodes College recently sent three student-athletes to the NCAA Division III Leadership Convention held in Dallas, Texas. These three students gave up a portion of their fall break learning to become better and more effective leaders not only on their respective teams, but across the campus and in their community.

Junior swimmer Jarrett Tate, sophomore softball player Kellianne Zomer and sophomore men's basketball player Kory Kilpatrick participated with over 100 other student-athlete leaders from across the states in the Leadership Convention hosted by the NCAA. The weekend was a learning process for all involved. The convention focused on leadership, values, communication and community service. Each student participated in small group activities as well as Division III wide panel discussion with the National SAAC members on what is the philosophy of Division III and the hot topics that are affecting our student-athletes today.

All three student-athletes were impressed with what they learned about themselves and others. Zomer stated, “The weekend was a good way to be introduced to other athletes that face the same struggles in college as I do. The could all understand the lack of hours in the day, and the struggle to keep the title of STUDENT-athlete true, that we are students first and athletes second. The thing that resonated strongest for me from the weekend was that I have the power to lead anyone and flex with any kind of personality to motivate everyone to be their best and achieve at a higher level.” Kilpatrick said the convention “was a great experience for me. I learned a lot about myself as a leader and how I can best relate to others. Being able to meet, get to know, and discuss opinions and ideas on various topics with other student-athletes from all over the country was a very enriching experience.” Tate thought, “overall the entire conference was a great experience. I learned a lot about not only Division III and what it means to be an athlete, but I learned a great deal about myself. This conference did not just center on leadership and was not a general information session, but was constructed in a way that allowed for student-athletes to discover their personalities and for personal growth.”

This experience gave all three students and opportunity to have some fun and meet fellow student-athletes from across the nation, but more importantly the opportunity to grow as leaders. Leaders that will be better on their teams, on their campus and in their community!