By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
A while back, Assistant Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Development Jasmine Perkins was contacted by a local middle school principal. What began as an interesting idea turned into a memorable experience.
 
Last month, some 150 students made the bus ride to William & Mary, where they met with about 20 Tribe student-athletes. It was eye-opening for the kids, and rewarding for the Tribe's student-athletes.
 
Perkins emphasized the importance of introducing local kids to what the college experience has to offer, especially those from Title I schools facing economic challenges.
 
"Many of these kids may not even realize that William & Mary is right in their own backyard," she said. "The assistant principal shared that some students couldn't even picture themselves in college. It was incredibly meaningful to see our student-athletes give back and help the next generation imagine a future that includes higher education."
 
The day began at Kaplan Arena, where there were seven breakout rooms, each lasting about 20-minutes. Breakout sessions covered discussions around women in sports, black student-athletes, international student-athletes, future business leaders, mental health & wellness, team leaders & captains, and first-generation student-athletes. Each group highlighted the importance of leadership, identity and overall wellness.
 
"I was in the leadership cohort, and we talked a lot about organizations and how leadership is essentially service," said junior swimmer Will Glass, president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council. "Also about how you can develop those skills in middle school and learn how to make an impact on others.
 
"The thing that stood out most to me was being able to talk to the kids about going to college in general, not just as an athlete, because most of them are coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. It was a very rewarding experience."
 
After three rotations, it was off to Zable Stadium for lunch in the suites -- a big hit with the kids. The day concluded with six Tribe student-athletes leading a Q&A session.
 
"It was incredible to engage with the next generation of students and potentially future student-athletes," said track/cross country athlete Sofia Istnick, mental health and awareness chair for SAAC. "I loved talking with them. They had so much excitement and it was really great to share what I've learned to such an amazing group of students.
 
"They seemed very much to enjoy it. They were invested during our presentation. Quite a few of them had questions or made statements. Not only did they have fun engaging with the student-athletes, it seemed as if they learned a lot."
 
Men's basketball player Chase Lowe's group discussed the importance of a college education.
 
"As Black student-athletes, we could show Black youths how college would be a good life trajectory for them," Lowe said. "It felt like our voices were making a difference to them. It was a cool experience to be able to open their eyes to college being a possibility."
 
Istnick hopes this will continue.
 
"I know there are a lot of schools around here that we could involve ourselves with," she said. "It's a mutually amazing time for the athletes and the students to get to know each other and work together."