MEJIA, NDHLOVU PARTICIPATE AT NCAA STUDENT-ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE

6-18-09


Mejia

Ndhlovu

CALDWELL, N.J. – Sophomore baseball player Juan Mejia (Ocean City, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) and freshman tennis player Olga Ndhlovu (Bergenfield, NJ/Bergenfield) represented Caldwell College at the NCAA National Student-Athlete Development Conference, held May 24-27 in Orlando, Fla. Mejia and Ndhlovu were selected by the NCAA to attend the conference, which is offered in association with the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program and the NCAA Foundation.

The mission of the Student-Athlete Development Conference is to provide a diverse group of the nation's top student-athletes an opportunity to actively participate in challenging and thought-provoking activities that will enable them to become better leaders on their campuses and in their communities. As a result of participation, student-athletes will enhance their communication, leadership, decision-making and problem-solving skills. The conference also promotes better communication among student-athletes, coaches, administrators, faculty and communities.

This year's conference featured presentations on energy management and attention control by the U.S. Army, and financial responsibility by National City Bank. The student-athletes also discussed topics such as diversity, student-athlete well-being, substance abuse, personal branding and sportsmanship.

"The best thing about attending this conference for me was just being around other student athletes who share the same passion for what they do," Ndhlovu said. "I also enjoyed talking to different people, learning about how they got where there are, and what drives them each day to play the sport they love."

Colleges nominated student-athletes for the conference who have demonstrated an ability or strong desire to be leaders and would benefit from a strong leadership experience. Over 2,000 student-athletes from Division I, II and III institutions were nominated.

This was the 13th year of the NCAA National Student-Athlete Development Conference, which included nearly 700 student-athletes.