Giving Back

Throughout all of her successes, Belle Bressler always made giving back to her community one of her top priorities. And through her time at Maryland, Bressler has continued to give back through her work with SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee). 

The SAAC is a leadership group comprised of student-athlete representatives across every sport within Maryland Athletics. Members of SAAC serve the entire-athlete body through their dedication to acting as liaisons between student-athletes, the athletic administration, and the NCAA, along with building and strengthening campus-wide relationships. SAAC's mission is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by cultivating skills and service initiatives, promoting student-athlete welfare, and enhancing the student-athlete voice.

Bressler was introduced to SAAC by her former teammates, Kelee Lepage and Brooke DeBerdine, both of whom she looked up to for their great achievements throughout their careers as Terps. 

Belle has strived to be a leader on and off of the field hockey field since she first picked up a stick. Whether it is receiving a spot on the Junior National Teams for USA field hockey and becoming a role model to aspiring players, obtaining roles in Non-Profit organizations to benefit children affected by various illnesses, or simply asserting herself in matters that meant a lot to her, Bressler wanted to give others opportunities to be better versions of themselves. 

“(Brooke) told me how many doors SAAC opens for Student Athletes and how rewarding and easy it was to give back.”

Bressler filled the role of Student Engagement Executive on the board for the Share the Shell program as well as joined the SAAC committee soon after, in hopes to meet new people and voice her opinions to make beneficial changes to the program. 

“To me, SAAC is an opportunity for involvement and getting the chance to give back to the people that did so many things for us as student-athletes and being able to almost partner with them and make the student-athlete experience better,” she explained. 

When discussing her goals within this position, Bressler emphasizes her desire to improve the student-athlete experience for those who come after her. 

“I know that if you don’t voice your opinion, things aren't going to change. That was a big lesson that I learned during my freshman year. And since then it's evident that the SAAC has been able to make a lot of progress in the betterment of the program in the three years that I’ve been involved.”

While holding this position in SAAC, Bressler also devotes her time to Team Impact, a non-profit that connects student-athletes with children possessing various sicknesses in the community and surrounding areas. This organization brings children to campus and has them join the team and ‘be’ collegiate athletes and receive the same special experiences.

In the future, Bressler plans to continue the act of helping others and giving back to her community by opening and operating her own field hockey club. To aid aspiring players and support them the way she has been supported throughout her entire career. 

“I love coaching, teaching, and just giving back to what has been so special to me, which was club field hockey and getting the experience to play a collegiate sport, so I'm hoping I can help people have the same experiences that I've had over the last four years.“