{"id":8573,"date":"2023-03-27T12:34:24","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T16:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/?p=8573"},"modified":"2023-04-07T16:21:20","modified_gmt":"2023-04-07T20:21:20","slug":"ensuring-student-athlete-success-on-and-beyond-the-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/issues\/spring-2023\/ensuring-student-athlete-success-on-and-beyond-the-field\/","title":{"rendered":"Ensuring Student-Athlete Success On and Beyond the Field"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"溏心vlog免费B站<\/div>

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溏心vlog免费B站 basketball star Tracey Hathaway \u201986 has made it her mission to ensure student-athletes make a seamless transition from school to work.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Marybeth Reilly-McGreen<\/p>\n\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n

When Tracey Hathaway \u201986 and Michele Washington met, the two became more than friends, more than roommates, more than even teammates. They became family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1982, they were the first two Black women in 溏心vlog免费B站 history recruited for the Division I women\u2019s basketball team. Meeting Washington cemented Hathaway\u2019s decision to attend 溏心vlog免费B站. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt that time, 溏心vlog免费B站 was the only school recruiting someone who looked like me, and I didn\u2019t want to be the token Black woman on a team. I knew right away Michele and I would stay friends for the rest of our lives.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the rest of their lives\u201d was 11 years. At 29, Washington was diagnosed with lupus. She died in 1993. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Washington\u2019s death, Hathaway campaigned to get her friend into 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Athletic Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame nomination form asks for a nominee\u2019s degree, major, and year of graduation. It was then that Hathaway learned Washington hadn\u2019t graduated and, therefore, was ineligible. Graduation never came up in conversation over the years. Hathaway, who\u2019d graduated in December 1986, just assumed Washington had graduated the previous May. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt that time, I was trying to get across the finish line myself. I didn\u2019t realize that my best friend\u2014a Kodak All-American for four years, one of the first two Black women to step on the court for the University in the women\u2019s basketball program\u2014you\u2019re telling me this woman did not graduate?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten years after her tenure at 溏心vlog免费B站, Washington\u2014still considered the greatest female player in the history of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s women\u2019s basketball program\u2014held nine all-time records for scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage, and free throws, among others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI went on a rampage,\u201d Hathaway says. \u201cShe held all of those records, and we had had one of the winningest seasons in the history of the program.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for Hathaway, the incident impelled her to leave a career in business for one in athletics. \u201cI promised myself, then and there, that, under my watch, there\u2019d never be a young lady of color who wouldn\u2019t graduate from an institution I was coaching at.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hathaway spent two decades in college coaching and athletics administration, including a stint as the head women\u2019s basketball coach at Roger Williams University (2006\u201309). Now a Ph.D. student at UMass Boston studying the experiences of Black female student-athletes, Hathaway is the co-founder of the athLEDA Foundation, a nonprofit that works with student-athletes and recent college graduates, assisting them in the transition from athletics to professional life. Now three years old, athLEDA\u2019s services are in high demand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The downside of life as a Division I athlete <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Top elite college athletes can be valued in the six figures for the revenue their performance generates for their schools. A winning season can be extraordinarily lucrative for top coaches and their universities. In recent years, calls to compensate college athletes have been taken up by state legislatures and, as of February 2022, 28 states had passed laws allowing compensation of student-athletes for use of their names, images, or likenesses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there are other compelling issues facing college sports, such as the fact that men\u2019s college basketball and football players are less likely to receive their diplomas than their peers in other sports, according to \u201cThe Price of Poverty in Big Time College Sport,\u201d a 2011 joint study conducted by the National College Players Association and Drexel University\u2019s Department of Sport Management. The report notes that the shortfall between a full scholarship and a college athlete\u2019s out-of-pocket expenses was $3,222 in 2010\u201311. Scholarships that include room and board keep 85% of college athletes on campus; 86% of those who live off campus live below the federal poverty level. It\u2019s not a leap to infer that gaps between scholarship packages and living expenses might cause stress for financially strapped student-athletes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI promised myself, then and there, that, under my watch, there\u2019d never be a young lady of color who wouldn\u2019t graduate from an institution I was coaching at.\u201d \u00ad
\u2014Tracey Hathaway \u201986<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Elsewhere in the report, stats imply that isolation might also play a role in a college athlete\u2019s disenfranchisement in large and small ways. Team and classroom commitments can make full participation in campus life difficult. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For all the attention college sports\u2014and athletes\u2014receive, players\u2019 needs\u2014financial, social, psychological, and otherwise\u2014are often overlooked, Hathaway says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey are spending an average of 70 hours a week on sports and academics\u2014that doesn\u2019t give much room for them to do much else.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now imagine the toll it takes on a college athlete when their athletics career ends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hathaway\u2019s research, scholarly and empirical, says that some college athletes sink into bouts of depression lasting for as long as three years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt has nothing to do with whether they can grind and get their work done. They have a skill set that\u2019s very transferrable in the real world. They know how to be on time. They know how to be a team player. They know resiliency and grit. They\u2019re leaders,\u201d Hathaway says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe question for me was, how do I help them transpose all these attributes to the real world?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her coaching days, students sought out Hathaway for social support, career advice, and help with r\u00e9sum\u00e9-building. \u201cIt was getting challenging to really concentrate on the Xs and Os when I had students coming to my office, saying, \u2018Coach, I need help with internships, I need help with the r\u00e9sum\u00e9, I gotta write a cover letter.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI realized quickly that being a coach\u2014especially being one of the few people of color in the athletic department\u2014involved far more responsibility than just coaching.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That sense of responsibility stuck. In 2020, Hathaway met Jelanna Olivera, an information systems management expert who\u2019d made a career in big business and global health care, through Olivera\u2019s mentor. Olivera\u2019s son had sustained a career-ending head injury while playing college football. Olivera was interviewing athletes struggling with anxiety and depression as their careers as elite athletes came to a close. The athlete and scholar in Hathaway recognized the link between these illnesses and identity foreclosure, defined by the American Psychological Association as a premature commitment to a received identity, one bestowed by parents, teachers, or coaches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hathaway and Olivera realized their work, skills, and professional experiences were complementary. They decided to partner and focused on identifying industries that would benefit from the unique set of attributes a student-athlete presents. In 2021, they co-founded athLEDA. Though the nonprofit is run by a staff of only five people, Hathaway says it turns no one away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we do is measure what matters. Any student can join us, but we look specifically at student-athletes\u2014with a hyper-focus on student-athletes of color and women\u2014and we focus on getting them into the STEM industries,\u201d Hathaway says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How athLEDA works <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In September 2021, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics issued a proposal, \u201cTransforming the NCAA D-1 Model,\u201d urging the NCAA, the College Football Playoff, and Division I conferences to better align their policies and practices around revenue generation with the educational mission of NCAA Division I college athletics programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Knight Commission report dinged the NCAA for the lack of academic success, specifically what\u2019s happening with their student-athletes of color,\u201d Hathaway says. She and Olivera saw an opportunity to pair with the organization. Hathaway had held several roles with the NCAA during her time in athletics administration. She approached the NCAA. Several rounds of review later, \u201cThe NCAA jumped in with us,\u201d Hathaway says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NCAA director of leadership development DeeDee Merritt says the NCAA saw in athLEDA an opportunity not only to extend its mission, but also to expand its impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe decision to work with athLEDA arose from a shared passion for student-athlete success, the need to uplift STEM as a viable and fulfilling career path for people of color, and mutual alignment in the desire to provide this experiential opportunity with our historically Black colleges and universities, Merritt says. \u201cThese foundational pillars ground us in our work and purpose and make the collaboration one of boundless potential and deep impact.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Student-athlete interest in the program was immediate, which might have strained the powers of another small nonprofit, but athLEDA was nimble. The nonprofit pairs students with mentors and provides an app, which delivers additional support via a self-paced, online learning program. The app serves 326 students (72% women, at present). Broadly speaking, Hathaway and Olivera estimate they\u2019ve interacted with around 1,000 people since incorporation. Their goal is to have 1,000 student-athletes using the platform by the end of 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really want to understand what\u2019s going on, particularly with Black female student-athletes at the collegiate level.\u201d \u00ad
\u2014Tracey Hathaway \u201986 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Juvia Davis played softball at Indiana University, where she earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in human biology in 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith the confidence athLEDA instilled in me,”says Davis,”I found my voice as a young woman in the corporate world, and I plan to break down barriers for other women like me in STEM fields. Tracey Hathaway saw something in me before I saw it in myself.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asli Strozier played softball for Grambling State University in Louisiana. In 2022, she earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in computer science. This May, she\u2019ll complete a second bachelor\u2019s degree in cybersecurity, also from Grambling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTracey Hathaway and athLEDA helped me explore all of my options on the next steps after graduation,\u201d Strozier says. \u201cThey have also provided me with hands-on experience, as well as networking with mentors and professionals in the tech field.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nonprofit works with three historically Black colleges and universities. Corporate partnerships have been forged, and mentors recruited. Of the mentors: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • 77% work in STEM. <\/li>
  • 70% are people of color. <\/li>
  • 60% are women. <\/li>
  • 54% are former student-athletes. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWe have CEOs of banks, people who are working in big pharma, people who have advanced degrees and have gone on into major consulting for different types of STEM organizations,\u201d Hathaway says. \u201cWe have people who are in the IT and health industries who are mentors.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The organization is looking to expand its offerings to help student-athletes who want to pursue postsecondary education, as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWe\u2019re developing our students from a holistic perspective,\u201d Hathaway says. \u201cAnd if you look at the research, that\u2019s what\u2019s missing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Resilience, grit, and grind <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Hathaway describes her own experience as a student-athlete of color as \u201cinsulated and isolated.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cMichele and I had both been the tokens on our high school teams\u2014which is why it was extremely important for me to not be the only Black player at 溏心vlog免费B站. Right after I met Michele during our official visit, we were writing each other every week about what a great experience it was going to be, considering we would not be the tokens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cSo, the bond between us was formed prior to coming to campus. When we got to campus, things weren\u2019t always easy, but because we had each other we could figure things out and cope and deal.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In her first year at 溏心vlog免费B站, Hathaway, a first-generation college student, came close to losing her scholarship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cCoach told me if I didn\u2019t get over the 1.8 GPA, I wouldn\u2019t be eligible the next year to play. At that time, I was a math major. I did a quick calculation. I needed to get above a 1.8. At the end of my freshman year, I had a GPA of 1.9.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Hathaway laughs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cI really did not have any type of social support. My family, the community that I was in, didn\u2019t know the ins and outs of college athletics, and knew even less about academia. In my junior year, my mom got diagnosed with breast cancer. At that point, I realized that I needed to get my act together. I had three younger siblings behind me, athletes as good as I was, who would need support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"溏心vlog免费B站<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cI lifted my GPA, and I graduated in four and a half years. Mom passed away a few years later. At that point in time, I was working in the public sector, just handling my business. I had one child and another on the way. And Michele\u2014I thought I knew everything about her\u2014she ended up getting extremely sick and passed away.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Honoring a life <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Athletic Hall of Fame calls Washington the greatest female basketball player in 溏心vlog免费B站 history, one of only two Rhode Island athletes to score more than 1,000 points and grab at least 1,000 rebounds in their careers. The circumstances that conspired against Washington won\u2019t likely ever surface. Hathaway still wonders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cMichele and I never talked about the struggles that either of us were having academically. Michele wasn\u2019t a first-gen kid. She was middle-class. Her parents were well educated. No woman athlete who worked as hard as Michele did should leave a college or university without walking across the stage in a cap and gown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cI really want to understand what\u2019s going on, particularly with Black female student-athletes at the collegiate level. Where is their sense of belonging? How do they figure out what their support is?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cMichele\u2019s presence is driving us for sure,\u201d Olivera says. \u201cTracey wants to ensure that no other young woman\u2019s experience becomes a footnote, and it is truly part of the story she\u2019s telling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWe\u2019re here in honor of Michele; we stand on her shoulders.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Few friendships rival Hathaway\u2019s and Washington\u2019s for impact. The combined effect of Washington\u2019s example and Hathaway\u2019s tenacity set athletic records and altered the thinking of colleges and universities\u2014and even the NCAA. And Hathaway\u2019s research and athLEDA\u2019s work will almost certainly influence generations to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWhen I graduated, I thought I would run a marathon. I thought I would be a triathlete. I failed to do that. But, in a way, I failed forward. I was one of the lucky ones.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Photo: Nora Lewis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    When Tracey Hathaway \u201986 and Michele Washington met, the two became more than friends, more than roommates, more than even teammates. They became family. In 1982, they were the first two Black women in 溏心vlog免费B站 history recruited for the Division I women\u2019s basketball team. Meeting Washington cemented Hathaway\u2019s decision to attend 溏心vlog免费B站. \u201cAt that time, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[313],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spring-2023","architecture-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8573"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9210,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8573\/revisions\/9210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}