Emerging Leaders Seminar | Lonnie Mulligan: In Her Own Words

The Emerging Leaders Seminar (ELS) is an annual event hosted by the NCAA for young and rising professionals who are graduate assistants and interns across the NCAA member schools, conferences, and affiliate organizations. This year’s event was a three-day program dedicated to educating, developing, and connecting selected participants to engage in sessions to help build the necessary skills to accelerate careers and progression in college sports. I was fortunate to be one of 180 young professionals selected to take part in this transformational journey.

Being a leader requires one to take action. I learned about the variety of leadership styles during my time at the ELS. Our leadership style is unique to who we are as a person, and it continuously encourages me to be the best version of myself. I learned empowerment through representation, received validation of my prospective career passions, and gained inspiration for personal growth through this experience. These opportunities will allow me to grow in the industry, network with my peers across the country, and position me in areas that inspire personal growth while impacting others.

We started the conference by gaining more insight about ourselves and how we interact with others by taking a DISC assessment. The assessment was insightful because I gained new perspectives from new facilitators and fellow attendees. It was also my first personality assessment following six months of my first post-graduate opportunity at Maryland. Embracing these changes in my DISC assessment allowed me to better understand my personality dynamics and foster a greater empathy with communication in both personal and professional relationships. I look forward to adapting to these changes and demonstrating a commitment to growth and development. I hope this can encourage everyone to continue an ongoing learning of self-awareness. Viewing the changes in the DISC assessment positively reflects the importance of flexibility and openness to new perspectives in our journey toward personal and professional growth.

I heard from many phenomenal speakers, panelists, and presenters throughout the ELS. I particularly looked up to Felicia Martin, the senior vice president of inclusion, education and community engagement. On day two of the event, which was also National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD), Martin's words resonated deeply with me for a multitude of reasons. NGWSD is everything to me as a former collegiate soccer player at the University of Mississippi and Southern University, and a current professional working in collegiate athletics. My past experiences attending a predominantly white institution and participating in a sport that white athletes dominate presented a unique set of challenges. Still, I demonstrated that success in sports has no limits on identity. Similarly, Martin spoke directly to my past and present experiences as a black woman navigating spaces where individuals like us are underrepresented.

I felt a profound connection when Martin shared her perspectives and advice. Her story was intertwined with my personal goals and aspirations. This connection was heightened because I was seeing someone who looked like me. Martin, a black woman standing confidently on stage, was breaking barriers and defying stereotypes. Her presence alone was a powerful affirmation of possibility and representation, inspiring me to embrace my own identity and potential even further. She relayed that unique characteristics one finds in themselves are what make individuals special. I found inspiration, validation, and reassurance that my voice and perspective matted.

In the words of Martin, “You’re cut for a unique calling. You offer a unique calling to the world.”

Taking part in the ELS experience was something I’m grateful for. It was a true honor to be able to represent Maryland Made and the University of Maryland Athletic Department as a recipient this year. This was not an experience that I was initially aware of, so I want people to know that your title does not define the impact that you can have on others. As the Big Ten Diversity Fellow, I am still learning more about myself, my intended career path, and the type of leader I hope to be one day. I will remind myself of what I would tell the next person who is in my shoes as I continue to grow personally and professionally in this industry.

The differences between everyone who took part in the experience in Indianapolis were what made the event so impactful. Being around people from different walks of life and coming together to enhance the student-athlete experience was an eye-opening and rewarding experience. This is only the beginning of the change I hope to one day enact in the realm of college athletics.