ORLANDO, Fla. – Maryland men's soccer's Paul Bin accepted the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals' (N4A) Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award Saturday afternoon at the N4A Convention Awards Luncheon at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando.
"My speech is a thank you to everybody involved in my journey because I couldn't have done this without them," Bin said to the assembled crowd. "I want to thank all my teammates, coaches, doctors, trainers and psychiatrists as well as the University of Maryland community for all the support I have received. It is because of these people that I have the strength to share my story today. What all you do in this room is so important to the mental well being and success of the student athletes you work with daily. After today, I hope that you all continue the dialogue about mental health."
Bin served as an inspiration inside and outside of the University of Maryland community for his battle with mental health and his subsequent advocacy for mental health awareness in sports. The junior forward played a large role on the field in the Terps capturing their fourth national title in program history in 2018, scoring four goals and adding three assists in 21 matches.
Joining Bin at the ceremony were his fellow 2019 honorees: Madeline Banic (Tennessee), Noelle Lambert (UMass-Lowell), Maggie Nichols (Oklahoma) and Levi Prater (Oklahoma). You can read the stories of the other recipients here.
Bin's profile from the N4A
Bin's life was supposed to be every kid's dream. Born in Seoul, South Korea, raised in London, England, he comes from a loving, compassionate family who supported him regardless of who or what he wanted to become. He came to the United States to attend high school at one of the best soccer academies in the U.S. It was there he was scouted by the University of Maryland and eventually committed to play for the Terps; fulfilling his dream. On the outside, it seemed everything was going perfectly for Bin, but internally he struggled with his mental health. His first year at Maryland proved to be difficult, as he battled with depression and anxiety daily. His performance on and off the pitch began to decline dramatically. As his world seemingly crumbled beneath him, suicidal thoughts became more and more frequent, until Bin opened up to his coaches about his battle with mental health. With their unconditional support, he decided it would be best to fly home to Korea to take care of his mental well-being. After a year away from Maryland and his teammates, Bin was welcomed back with open arms and he began to thrive. Bin readjusted to college life, rebuilt relationships, and started to show serious academic promise. However, it was his junior year that he viewed as his redemption year, pushing himself both academically and athletically. He emerged as a leader amongst his peers and played an essential role in the Terps NCAA title run this past year. With the support of those around him, Bin faced his depression head on and has become an advocate for mental health awareness.
About the Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award: The N4A Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award honors student-athletes who have overcome great personal, academic, and/or emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics. These young men and women may not be the star athletes or best students, and therefore may not have been recognized by other organizations or awards. Nonetheless, they have persevered and made significant personal strides toward success.
About N4A: N4A, which has been in existence since 1975, is a diverse educational service and professional non-profit organization. Membership of N4A includes academic support and student services personnel who are committed to enhancing opportunities for academic, athletics and personal success for student-athletes. For more information on N4A, visit www.nfoura.org. N4A is administered by NACDA, now in its 54th year, administers 17 professional associations, including seven for the separate business units that report directly to the athletics directors. For more information on NACDA, visit www.nacda.com.
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