Leadership Academy Takes Teamwork Approach To BeAM

By Jennifer Burris

On March 19, UNC student-athletes in Carolina Incubate had the opportunity to "Be a Maker" at a BeAM makerspace in Carmichael Hall on the UNC campus. Carolina Incubate is the third level of programming in the Richard A. Baddour Carolina Leadership Academy. The Director of the Leadership Academy, Shelley Johnson, was excited about this opportunity for the student athletes.

"Incubate is unique because the learning environment is field-trip based," Johnson said. "We have great partners on campus that we have visited throughout the year and BeAM is one of those amazing resources.

"The idea behind the student-athletes going to BeAM is to allow them to make leadership come to life in a project they build themselves. There are many parallels between the construction process and the leadership process and that is what we wanted the athletes to take away from this experience."

The Leadership Academy emphasizes that leadership is not a person or position but a process. This project required the athletes to complete an orientation, learn about the tools involved, and then experience trial and error by doing it themselves before reaching the finished product. One of the BeAM Technical Associates Kristina Herrera was the host and wonderful guide throughout this workshop.

"At BeAM it's our mission to empower the UNC community to solve problems and enjoy themselves creatively through making," Herrera said. "The makerspaces at UNC are safe places to get your hands dirty and to learn a new skill in an environment that supports your goals. We hope the student-athletes left inspired to take a risk, make a difference, and Be a Maker."

The student-athletes were able to make an introductory wood project, the "two-piece chicken dinner." After watching the BeAM staff make it look easy, the student-athletes were challenged to complete the project with a partner.

"I'm so glad we were able to do this project with a partner because we could have different roles depending on our own strengths and we complemented each other's skills throughout the project," said Margaret High, a junior on the rowing team. "I think with leadership it is important to have people with different strengths because it allows the group or team to work more efficiently to reach their goals."

Some of the athletes had previously completed the makerspace orientation and were able to give guidance to the majority who were learning for the first time. Juniors Marissa Creatore and Catherine Hayden, both members of the field hockey team, were among those new to BeAM.

"It was nice to be able to look to some of our peers who had experience with this for guidance," Creatore said. "We had never used many of these tools before, so it helped a lot to be able to refer to them and make sure we completed our project correctly and safely. Now that we have been through this orientation we are excited to have other opportunities to come in and learn about what else BeAM has to offer because we probably would not have done this on our own."

After the success of this first workshop, Johnson has plans for more student-athlete involvement in the BeAM workshops. Up next is an activity in which program participants will use any materials they wish to create their own unique interpretation of the bCLA framework.

"It was great having the student-athletes come to an orientation at BeAM," Herrera said. "They were enthusiastic, model trainees and I hope they come visit us again soon!"

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