WASHINGTON, D.C. (UCFKnights.com) - Junior Tolulope Omokore was selected to represent the American Athletic Conference at the 2017-18 NCAA Leadership Forum.
Read more on her experience below.
Day One
"I met plenty of student-athletes and faculty from different divisions. The best part of the whole trip was when some alumni saw my UCF gear and were so happy and said GO KNIGHTS! They weren't even part of the conference! That filled me with joy and made me even prouder of my university.
The keynote speaker, Chris Grant, said that there are 40,000 student-athletes and only 356 were selected to participate in the forum. I am absolutely blessed to be here representing UCF and The American! I'm excited for the next few days."
Day Two
"Day two was a longer day, but I got to meet more student-athletes and administrators. I learned more about the NCAA governance and different approaches in SAAC. Not only did I get to hear about the differences, but I shared different ideas with those that are in SAAC.
I also got to see my grandma and my mom tonight! My home is about 45 minutes away from where I am staying, so I'm glad I was able to see them!
I'm looking forward to my last full day before we head home on Sunday."
Day Three
"The last full day here was awesome! I'm always getting to know more student-athletes - their sports and the institutions they come from. In the morning, we had a guest speaker, Curtis Hill, who touched on diversity and social justice. Just hearing other people's perspectives on things was very interesting."
Day Four
"I'm still meeting new student-athletes on the last day. It's lots of fun and I'm sad that it's the last day. I wish I had that chance to get to know everyone here. Our guest speaker was the first African American CIAA commissioner - Jacquie McWilliams!
There were some tears when it came to the very end session. We shared our reflection and what we learned about ourselves over the last four days. Someone in my group said 30 strangers turned to 30 friends and connections within the past four days.
I'm so blessed and honored to have represented UCF and the American Athletic Conference. It was a huge honor."
