On Day 4 of the NCAA’s Diversity and Inclusion Week, Transylvania’s student-athletes are sharing what diversity and inclusion mean to them.
“Diversity suggests that we are all different, but that should be expanded to suggest that we are all very unique,” said Alexis Schumann, a sophomore biochemistry major and volleyball player. “Without diversity, life would be extremely uninteresting. As a student athlete, it is important to model the Golden Rule. Following this simple rule means there is never any question with regard to inclusion; everyone contributes by bringing their own unique perspective.”
“Diversity and inclusion mean everything to me as a student athlete on a team sport. It gives each athlete the opportunity to use a shared love for the game into creating bonds and making connections that will carry on into the rest of our lives,” said Alex Petrocelli, a senior on the men’s lacrosse team.
“Rather than let diversity divide, it is our job to let our differences in thoughts and abilities to bring us together for a greater good,” added Luke Wilson, a sophomore accounting major and member of the baseball team.
For junior softball player Kenzy More, appreciating diversity and inclusion is seeing situations from other perspectives. “It is allowing those in our student-athlete community and on our campus the room to be open and honest about what they believe without fear of judgment and rejection,” Moore said.
“Diversity for me means being unique in my own way while being open to other unique things and people on my journey.”
Freshman Hugo Kouhkna, a member of the men’s tennis team.
Reagan Job is a sophomore on the women’s tennis team. She said, “Our differences and diversity makes us stronger as a school and athletic program. Having many ways to look at problems helps us solve them more easily.”
“Diversity is important among collegiate sports because it brings student-athletes together to achieve common goals no matter how unique or different each individual may appear to be,” said junior Khalil Britt, a member of the man’s track and field team.
From Oct. 1-5, Transy’s student-athletes and coaches are lending their voices to the NCAA’s diversity and inclusion outreach efforts. The national effort includes not only student-athletes from a wide variety of sports, but also all divisions and NCAA member institutions. Join the discussion online using #NCAAInclusion and follow @Transy on Twitter or @transylvaniauniversity on Instagram to meet our participating athletes.