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Administration Joe Browning

Parham, Thaxton Enjoy Black Student-Athlete Summit

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – UNCW women's soccer star Makaya Parham and volleyball standout Sydney Thaxton recently spent the first part of their summer break networking and gathering informative feedback at the 9th Annual Black Student-Athlete Summit on May 23-25, 2022, in Houston, Texas.
 
The pair joined Academic Coordinator/Director of Student-Athlete Development Jaime Mangold at the meeting hosted by Rice University Athletics. More than 700 student-athletes, coaches and administrators attended the annual gathering designed to enhance the development of the Black Student-Athlete.
 
The three-day conference featured extensive idea sharing and encouraged student-athletes to maximize their college experience in the classroom and take advantage of unique opportunities. Many of the sessions provided the student-athletes and athletic administrators with tools to understand and prioritize mental health concerns of student-athletes, while understanding the unique challenges of Black student-athletes. 
 
The summit brought together leaders and professionals from all levels of the NCAA and featured sessions such as The Mental Health of the Black Student-Athlete, Racial Conflict in College Athletics, More Than An Athlete, Destiny Determined-A Conversation, and Creating Culture and Community for the Black Student-Athlete.
 
A special Student-Athlete Village was organized in Rice's Anderson-Clarke Hall, with Texas volleyball players Logan Eggleston and Asjia O'Neal presiding over interactive discussions entitled I'm Burnt Out, I'm Injury, Now What?, Self-Care, Navigating the PWI, Exploring Life Outside the Athletic Bubble, Popular, but Lonely and Isolated, Telling Your Story to Secure the Bag and Black Athlete x Black Greek.
 
"The summit was an intense learning opportunity that addressed the issues within the Black community and college athletics head-on," said Thaxton, a rising sophomore from Woodbridge, Va., and vice-president of the UNCW Black Student-Athletes Organization.  "Student-athletes are like celebrities; we are an investment.
 
"No matter what level we play, we're all going through similar experiences. We need to make time for the passions we care about. We have the social platform and opportunity to be a great organization where everyone can find value. I encourage other Black student-athletes to become involved because everyone's contribution is worth a milestone in progress.
 
"I feel empowered as a student-athlete and want to achieve as much as possible while I'm still young. A busy schedule that revolves around your sport is not your identity – it's about how you develop your character over the course of your career and what you make of it."
 
It marked the second straight year that Parham, a junior from Raleigh, has taken part in the summit after participating virtually during 2020-21 when Covid-19 struck. Parham serves as president of UNCW's newly-organized Black Student-Athlete Association.
 
"It was a great experience that I believe every Black student-athlete should have if they can," said Parham. "I learned so much. It was very beneficial to me as a student, Black student-athlete and president of UNCW's BSAA.
 
"It didn't change my approach as a student-athlete as much as it provided more knowledge and guidance. We met other Black student-athletes and talked about a range of topics with each other.
 
"As president of the BSAA, I learned how to maintain and retain members and how to market our organization via social media and throughout campus to reach our target audience while keeping them engaged in our events. We want to create a strategic plan to reach attainable goals and set up the BSAA to be successful and have an impact on campus."
 
Ultimately, Parham said the valuable experience provided additional perspective on dealing with challenges Black student-athletes face on a daily basis.
 
"I learned that you have to adapt to new environments and find a balance between managing who you are fundamentally and finding your place in a new domain. It's our responsibility to advocate for issues within the community and world because we are the ones dealing with the pain, trauma, racism and abuse from society. We need to express those feelings, so those who aren't in our shoes understand us better."
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Makaya Parham

#34 Makaya Parham

D
5' 2"
Sophomore
Sydney Thaxton

#11 Sydney Thaxton

DS/L
5' 5"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Makaya Parham

#34 Makaya Parham

5' 2"
Sophomore
D
Sydney Thaxton

#11 Sydney Thaxton

5' 5"
Freshman
DS/L