NCAA Diversity & Inclusion Campaign: I Belong Because...

This week, the NCAA is hosting its Diversity & Inclusion campaign. Today's topic is "I Belong Because...": Defining why belonging is important to foster inclusive excellence within a team or an athletic community.

Volleyball's Zoe Huang shares her thoughts below.

Defining why belonging is important to foster inclusive excellence within a team or an athletic community

Being a student athlete can be hard. My rigorous schedule can include morning lifts, class, tutoring appointments, late night practices, and traveling for games. All these things combined can make it hard to find time for myself. But having support from teammates and other athletes who live in the same reality can really lessen the pressure. They can help you feel seen, heard, and like you belong in our bubble of unique circumstances.

As an Asian American, I never grew up watching other Asian American athletes, which made it hard to see myself in other athletes' shoes. I never felt truly represented by the things I saw. These feelings of underrepresentation brought about feelings of doubt in my belief of becoming a successful athlete. It made me question whether I should continue playing the sport at all.

I often felt left out, unable to share any similar experiences with anyone about the simplest things such as food. My previous experiences with feeling like the odd one out prompted me to be nervous as I transitioned to a predominantly white institution. However, The University of Maryland Athletics and Maryland Made has provided me with a sense of belonging within different communities.

Belonging is feeling like you are meant to be somewhere; It means allowing yourself to be yourself at all times without any barriers. I belong at Maryland not just because of volleyball, but because the girls around me have become my family. Because we play almost every single day, it can feel like volleyball is my entire life, it becomes easy to lose yourself in volleyball and academics. However, I see my teammates every day and can see they will always support me regardless of a bad practice or day. But it isn't just the volleyball team that has given me a sense of belonging, Maryland Made is an amazing program that has given me things to put my energy towards that are bigger than myself. This community has taught me that I am more than just an athlete and a volleyball player. I can be a leader and influence others in a positive way that ignites change.

On another note, having a space where I feel comfortable allows me to take risks and challenge myself to be uncomfortable because I have support whether I fail or succeed. While that may sound strange, being uncomfortable is one of the ways one can improve and see growth. You aren't getting better or improving if you feel comfortable with whatever you are doing, whether it be a certain skill or just life. You have to feel uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable, before pushing your bounds again. That is what excellence is: striving to be your best. But you can only do that when you feel like you belong: something that the University of Maryland strives at and has given me.

Zoe Huang

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