COLLEGE PARK, Md. - University of Maryland football players
Eric Najarian and
Alex Simet attended the Uplifting Athletes Leadership Development Conference in Philadelphia this past weekend. As the leaders of Maryland's chapter of Uplifting Athletes, Najarian and Simet were able to meet with other chapter leaders from across the country to learn more about the Rare Disease Community and how they can use their platform to make a difference in it. Najarian and Simet shared their experiences as they hope to continue Maryland's strong bond with Uplifting Athletes this upcoming season.
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The Uplifting Athletes Leadership Development Conference was a great experience for me. I have been a member of Uplifting Athletes since 2020, so the pandemic had thrown a wrench in my early experiences with the organization. Getting to go to Philadelphia and putting some names with faces was great.
What I really liked about the conference was that it was not all about helping the organization grow, but they also really cared about helping the athletes grow. They had multiple guest speakers come in and help us prepare as student-athletes now and for life after college. After hearing from the guest speakers, we were able to learn about rare diseases and gain a better understanding of what the organization does.
Rare diseases affect so many people, but because of the rarity, research for them is often underfunded. By bringing them to light, we can help so many researchers do what is necessary to help those affected.
The whole weekend culminated with the "Young Investigators Draft" which was a really cool experience. This was a spinoff from the NFL draft, where rare disease researchers were "drafted" by sponsors. With this draft pick came their own jersey and a grant to carry out research on the rare disease that they specialized in.
This was great because these researchers are working behind closed doors and do not get the recognition that they deserve, so dedicating one night to them was special. I definitely feel a lot closer to Uplifting Athletes after spending the weekend with them and look forward to fundraising at the University of Maryland to continue to help make a meaningful difference in the lives of so many.
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The uplifting athletes conference was an eye-opening experience. We were able to meet with other student-athletes across the country, medical professionals, and patients affected by rare diseases.
We heard first hand accounts on how rare diseases affect individuals and our community. This experience was something I've never had before.
The Young Investigator Draft was a great way to honor these researchers and the rare disease community. Each researcher was drafted, presented a jersey, and received their grant. You could see how much it meant to the researchers to be appreciated in such a way.
The impact these people have on others is incredible and there's no better feeling than knowing we are able to help them and others.
The entire conference got me excited for this upcoming fundraising year. We plan to have more involvement and activities to make Maryland a big time contributor to the Rare disease community.
-- TERPS --
