Leadership Academy Caps School Year With Celebration
May 1, 2015 | Leadership Academy
The Richard A. Baddour Carolina Leadership Academy wrapped up the 2014-15 school year April 13 with its annual banquet, providing a celebratory finale to a year that saw student-athletes invest nearly 8,000 hours in leadership training and development.
Shelley Johnson, Director of the Leadership Academy, opened the evening at the Loudermilk Center Blue Zone with that impressive number, as well as others:
• 72 workshops held
• 1,724 evaluations completed for 360-feedback
• 231 Carolina CREED participants, 112 Rising Stars, 25 Leadership Lab participants and 73 Veteran Leaders
“The numbers are significant and give a great overview, but what's even more significant is watching the student-athletes' individual growth throughout the school year,” Johnson said. “Throughout the five student levels of programming, we see them living up to our motto and becoming 'world-class leaders in athletics, academics and life.' These are skills they'll use throughout their lives.”
The evening offered an overview of each level of the Leadership Academy in the form of a panel discussion. Those who took part were: Caroline Baldwin (women's swimming), representing Carolina CREED; Jamie Loeb (women's tennis), representing Rising Stars; Matt Williams (wrestling), representing Leadership Lab; Ali Margherio (rowing), representing Veteran Leaders; RJ Alowonle (men's track and field), representing CREED Mentors; and Abel Sanchez (diving coach), representing Leadership Liaisons. Each spoke about highlights of the program and what they'll take away from the year. “I plan to become a wedding planner,” said Margherio, who will graduate in May. “Veteran Leaders helped me learn to communicate well in high-pressure situations, and I think that will be helpful for me as I start work.”
The evening's highlight was the introduction of the 2014-15 Tar Heel Leaders of Distinction, members of the Veteran Leaders program who have earned the Academy's highest honor. Each Leader of Distinction was introduced by a teammate or coach who described his or her many strengths: friendliness, versatility, diligence, discipline, caring, speed and, in one case, being “the most organized person you'll ever meet.” Those who paid tribute made it obvious that the honorees have made a mark on UNC that will last long after their graduation.
Tar Heel Leaders of Distinction for 2014-15 are:
Jake Bernstein (men's fencing)
Brian Bollerman (men's swimming and diving)
Kelly Corish (women's swimming and diving)
Margaret Corzel (women's lacrosse)
Acacia Cosentino (gymnastics)
Esben Hess-Olesen (men's tennis)
Annie LeHardy (women's track and field/cross country)
Jake Matthai (men's lacrosse)
Patrick Myers (men's swimming and diving)
Boyd Okwuonu (men's soccer)
Ryan Ramsey (men's track and field)
Maia Schechter (women's golf)
Danielle Siverling (women's swimming and diving)
Maura Thornton (women's fencing)
Trent Thornton (baseball)
Samantha Travers (field hockey)
Alex Utley (wrestling)
Haley Watts (gymnastics)
Parker Williams (men's fencing)
"There is no program like our bCLA,” said Sanchez, who has been an active participant during his first two years at Carolina. “I've been blown away with the amazing lineup of speakers and workshops the Leadership Academy brings in for our student-athletes. And not only does the Leadership Academy develop our student-athletes, they also aid in the development of coaches. I've learned from the speakers the bCLA brings in, but also from interacting with my fellow Carolina coaches in leadership workshops, learning together how to best connect, communicate with and coach our student-athletes. The banquet was a great celebration to cap a very beneficial year."
Players Mentioned
