Student-athletes soar through leadership development academy
- Terrisa Mark
- August 22, 2024
- Athletics
- Contributors: James Greco, Photography
Anna Claire Bridge is teed up to play a greater leadership role on the women’s golf team in her senior year at Florida Gulf Coast University.
That’s thanks to an FGCU Athletics initiative that fosters excellence among student-athlete leaders. The annual Eagle Athletics Growing Leaders Everyday (EAGLE) Leadership Academy is dedicated to shaping leaders with the knowledge and skills needed to inspire and empower others.
Bridge was part of the 2023-24 academy cohort, the fourth group of athletes to complete the program.
“By the end of the experience I felt more confident in my leadership skills and how to handle different situations and have critical conversations,” said Bridge. “I am now able to utilize my strengths to best lead others.”
Nine athletes representing nine different teams went through nine months of in-person teaching last year to become better leaders. The class met once a month for two hours. The first hour was dedicated to theory teachings; the second involved interactive sessions where participants practiced what they learned.
Another member of last year’s class was Brandon Dwyer, a senior on the men’s basketball team. Despite already having a massive social media fandom, including 424,000 followers on Instagram, he still wanted to enhance his leadership skills.
“I’ve always seen the potential in sports to cultivate leadership skills both on and off the court,” said Dwyer. “I discovered the importance of effective communication and networking and how clear communication can unify a team and enhance performance.
“I’ve applied lessons from the EAGLE leadership program by actively fostering a supportive and communicative environment among my teammates and friends.”
Travell Oakes, senior assistant director in FGCU’s Multicultural & Leadership Development Center, was one of the three leadership coaches last year. John Roth from the Department of Communication & Philosophy and Maggie Hohne from First-Year Experience also contributed to the presentations.
“(The academy) aims to develop transformational leaders who can make a significant impact on the world,” said Oakes. “We equip student-athletes with skills they can utilize both now and in their future careers and make leaders who are well-informed, adaptable and capable of leading in diverse environments.”
There are three core areas of learning:
• Individual leadership focuses on self-awareness and reflection, character and integrity, and compassion through service.
• Group leadership deals with common purpose, developing relationships and team building through service.
• Community leadership teaches engagement with diverse communities, common good and social justice, and social change through service.
“In preparation, I use a curricular approach and design principles to craft my curriculum for the student-athletes,” Oakes said. “My goal is to be intentional, strategic and relevant. I include student-athletes in the planning process to co-create the learning experiences, ensuring that the information is engaging and digestible.”
Amelia Kopel, a junior tennis player from Poland, was thankful for the opportunity to become a better leader through EAGLE. “I was of the belief that you are just born a leader until I did the classes and realized that you can teach anyone to be an effective leader,” she said. “I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned with my teammates.”
When the 2024-25 cohort opens this fall, instructors and students are urging student-athletes to take advantage of the opportunity to learn alongside players from different sports and explore unique leadership perspectives.
“By participating, students become well-informed leaders who can make a positive impact both within and outside the realm of athletics,” said Oakes.
Kopel tells peers about her experience and new friendships she has forged off the tennis courts.
“Working with other teams enabled me to get out of my comfort zone and open up to a new, amazing group of people that now I can call my new friends. It was a great way for me to make new relationships and connections outside of my tennis team,” she said.
