Bison Student-Athletes Reflect on Experience at 2020 Naval Academy Leadership Conference
1/31/2020 10:42:00 AM | Student-Athlete Enrichment
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Eleven Bucknell student-athletes attended the United States Naval Academy Leadership Conference in Annapolis last week. This was the eighth straight year Bucknell has participated in the prestigious annual event, and this was the largest contingent of Bison ever to attend.
Representing Bucknell were:
This year's conference featured the theme "Invest in Your People: The Power of Mentorship". As described on the conference's website, leaders who invest in the personal and professional success of their people create a fruitful work environment. A culture of mentorship rises above individual differences, creates team-oriented relationships, and paints the bigger picture of an organization to accomplish its common goals. The Naval Academy Leadership Conference 2020 seeks to foster open and honest conversations about the process of mentorship, from its inevitable hardships to its invaluable rewards, so that delegates may return home with actionable tools for establishing and nurturing mentoring relationships in their own communities.
The 2020 conference was comprised of three panels: Mentoring Across Cultural Differences, Mentorship on the Battlefield, and The Importance of Role Models, Mentors and Coaches. U.S. Naval Academy Superintendent VADM Sean S. Buck delivered the opening remarks, and guest speakers included prominent military and business leaders. FBI director Christopher A. Wray delivered the closing remarks.
The U.S. Naval Academy has hosted this prestigious conference annually since 1984, and since 2002 it has extended an invitation for delegates from peer institutions in the Patriot League, ROTC programs across the country, and many formal leadership education programs embedded in universities and military academies across the globe. More than 300 delegates participate alongside selected midshipmen in various lectures, presentations, and small-group discussions.
Following this year's event, the Bison delegates got together and ranked their top-10 takeaways from the conference, and each provided their thoughts on the immediate and long-term impact of the sessions.
Top 10 Takeaways from the 2020 U.S. Naval Academy Leadership Conference
10. Make time to have those special conversations with your people outside of work.
9. Always be looking to build meaningful relationships.
8. Seek out those who are different than you.
7. Fail, but fail quickly. You are not the first person to make a mistake in your life.
6. Be comfortable making the uncomfortable decision.
5. Leaders build bridges ... but first must identify the gaps.
4. The way we lead affects the way people live.
3. Instill confidence in yourself and those around you.
2. Be able to have open, honest conversations with team members.
1. Listen to care, don't listen to respond.
Alex Bolinger, Football
Immediate Impact:
The few days that we were able to spend in Annapolis created some of my most valuable experiences. I was lucky and fortunate to be able to attend the conference and learned even more than I was expecting. One of the most immediate takeaways I had during the conference was the value of relationship building. Genuine relationships create trust which is foundational to any organization, team or company's success. When Vice Aadmiral Buck said, "A bitching sailor is a happy sailor," it expressed how important trust was to him. That even if one of his sailors was complaining it was still valuable because it showed they still trusted him.
Long-Term Impact:
There are going to be a number of lessons from this conference that I will carry with me as time goes on. One of the most important being that you should always remain goal-orientated. Whether it is in a position of leadership or not, always remember what your individual life principles are, that why you can always have the right attitude and make it through the toughest times.
Mike Caruso, Football
Immediate Impact:
One thing that I will immediately look to do after this conference is become extremely approachable to individuals around me. Emphasizing generous listening at the Naval Academy Conference really opened my eyes to the significance of treating others the way they want to be treated, and not necessarily the way you would like to be treated.
Long-Term Impact:
Down the road, I am going to make an effort to naturally form relationships with people from different social, economic, or political backgrounds. Understanding other peoples' different experiences is critical for a productive team environment, and the most diverse teams ultimately make for the most productive teams.
Sarah Dohler, Women's Lacrosse
Immediate Impact:
In response to the content of the conference, I feel it is necessary for me to name my mentors and reflect deeper on the impact that they have had on my life. I left wondering whether or not the mentors that each person spoke about knew that they were looked at as such, urging me to name mine and distinguish why I view them in that role. I feel that after hearing every speaker's take on mentorship I must reflect on my own experience with it more, in order to have more intention moving forward. I want figure out what key techniques impacted me thus far and understand why that is in order to successfully be impactful as a mentee and mentor moving forward in my life.
Long-Term Impact:
In the future, I am going to make sure that I take advantage of every opportunity someone is offering me for mentorship, just as Lieutenant General Ronald L. Bailey suggested. Overall, this conference enabled me to see that having mentors for all different elements of your life is crucial for self development. Being open to new mentors enables for an expansion in your viewpoint and a growth in your sponsors. Ultimately, the best mentorships happen organically, and I will strive to become more aware when an authentic mentorship opportunity is in front of me. Taking advantage of these opportunities will allow me to have more tools to confidently lead by example for future mentees.
Leah Fogelsanger, Field Hockey
Immediate Impact:
After this conference, I will immediately begin to instill confidence in myself, but also in those around me. This conference offered a great variety of speakers who each had their own unique experiences and lessons, however, there was one common theme that seemed to stand out in each of their lectures -- having confidence in yourself and being able to carry that confidence over to those who you lead so that they will be able to grow from followers to leaders themselves.
Long-Term Impact:
Long term, I look to make more meaningful connections and reach out to those who are different from me in more ways than one as. Finding people who are different from you to either be your mentor or mentee will instill more knowledge and understanding for future life experiences.
Delanie Lewis, Volleyball
Immediate Impact:
After listening to several admirable individuals, I have learned that listening is the key to forming solid relationships with others and especially with teammates. Sometimes I catch myself zoning out or forgetting small details that people tell me about. One immediate impact that the conference had on me was that I am going to work on being more attentive to the people around me. Whether they are coming to me for advice, wanting someone to complain to, or just want to tell me about something that is happening in their lives, I will be there to listen and I will listen to understand. Not to respond. As I work on this skill and staying engaged during conversation, I hope that I will be able to make stronger bonds with the people around me as I will be more involved in what is going on in their lives.
Long-Term Impact:
Thinking ahead long term, I am going to try to trust that people are most likely more helpful than what I perceive them to be. I have always had an issue with asking people for help because I feel like it is annoying to them. In reality, I realize how important mentorship is and how willing people actually are to help if they have already experienced the things that I am struggling with. I will work on reaching out to people when I need help and being confident when I do so.
Kaelyn Long, Field Hockey
Immediate Impact:
The immediate impact I plan to take back to my team is the importance of just listening. In order to invest in my people (in this case, my teammates), I need to practice empathetic listening. By just listening, I will begin to develop that unilateral relationship built on trust and care. I loved the quote from the conference, "We measure success by the way we touch the lives of people" and I strongly believe we touch others by showing we care about them and have their best interest in mind.
Long-Term Impact:
Long term, this conference taught me the importance of establishing a diverse group of mentors, both alike and different than me. In order to establish this type of relationship, I need to actually take advantage of advice/guidance when it is being offered. The conference reiterated the importance of being aggressive as a mentee by jumping on any and all opportunities ... you cannot sit back as a mentee! You ultimately must have a good attitude and be goal driven as a mentee, which I think are life applicable skills that extends far beyond this conference.
Eva Macris, Women's Lacrosse
Immediate Impact:
After attending this amazingly influential conference, I learned so much about the importance of interpersonal relationships. So the immediate impact I plan to take is to value and continuously work on my relationships with my teammates, classmates, and peers. My midshipman moderator told me that everyday she simply lives by the line, "choose to carry more." I plan to implement this in my life in and outside of the athletic arena.
Long-Term Impact:
In the future, I hope to take the knowledge gained from this conference and make a real difference in the lives of the people around me, just as the speakers that I had the honor to listen to did in their lives. I do not want to lose sight of the power of relationships with people, and to connect not only with those similar to me, but those who are vastly different.
Kelsey O'Loughlin, Volleyball
Immediate Impact:
The Naval Academy was an incredible place to be in learning about the power of mentorship. This whole experience taught me about the importance of meaningful relationships with all of my teammates. I will begin to ask about the small stuff in the lives of my teammates with all that they have going on in their lives. Hearing the speakers talk about the mentors in their lives reminded me of how fortunate I am to have those in my life who have always helped and believed in me. All of those who spoke and reflected on their experiences in life and professionally, all said that the most meaningful relationships they have are with the ones who care for them as a person first. As I go forward into my season, I intend to focus on being a better listener when people speak to me, in order to be a better friend and mentor.
Long-Term Impact:
In the long term, I will take away how important it is to be someone who is approachable. As a professional and a person, being able to be caring and communicate with others is invaluable.
Kali Peeples, Women's Lacrosse
Immediate Impact:
The Naval Academy Leadership Conference taught me that it is extremely important to make an effort to learn more about the lives of my teammates. I will start asking about their days more and asking about how they feel. There were many interesting speakers from all different backgrounds within this conference; one common factor between these mentors is that they connected with people who took a personal interest in their well-being and future success. Without these caring individuals, many of the speakers at the conference would not have had the confidence or motivation to try and achieve their goals. I want to help my teammates succeed in all their goals and I will do these by being their emotional support if they are going through tough times.
Long-Term Impact:
My long term goal after this conference is to make a concerted effort in trying to find a mentor that will help me with my future endeavors. I would like to find someone I can rely on and get their advice when I am confused or in trouble. This conference taught me the importance of mentors. Mentors have the wisdom and the experience to help guide younger individuals in a direction that will be beneficial to them in the future. For now on, I will try to meet with professors or coaches that I connect with and try to ask them questions about their careers and their opinions on tracks that I can take to advance my career. I will take into account their opinions and make the best decision for me. I will also try to find a different array of mentors so that I can compare the different opinions of people that I speak to.
Brandon Stokes, Wrestling
Immediate Impact:
This was my second year attending this prestigious conference, so of course I had an idea of what was going to be offered over the four days. The leaders that spoke displayed a diverse array of experiences, from Medal of Honor recipients, to CEOs of some of the most successful companies in the country. This year was a new opportunity for me to build on my leadership skills, all while being able to hear from a new group of speakers and learning more about how to incorporate these into my life here at Bucknell.
Long-Term Impact:
The long term impact this conference will have on my life is still to be determined, but I hope that these lessons I have learned will help me to be a better brother, leader, father and husband as well as anything else life will offer. The networking provided through a conference like this will allow me to connect with many other individuals, some who are leaders in the present, as well as those who will be great leaders in the future. The mentors that I have had in my life up to this point have greatly impacted my life positively, and I hope that I can help others out in the same way that my mentors were able to help me.
Brittany Willwerth, Field Hockey
Immediate Impact:
Having attended the conference for a second year, I was once again inspired by the astounding patriotism, courage, and leadership qualities embraced by so many individuals in the military. One immediate goal I have going forward was inspired from a suggestion by Lieutenant General Ronald L. Bailey who described, "It is important to improve the skill of listening to those your nurture." In order to be a good leader, mentor, and teammate, it is incredibly important to genuinely value the voices of those who follow you, ultimately seeking to develop trust. Serving as such a simple proposition, this strategy can profoundly affect relationships with others.
Long-Term Impact:
This conference taught me to value my mistakes, instill confidence in myself and others, and respect the power of difference. While on the surface these components seem simple, they nonetheless bring to light elements so often overlooked when growing up and entering the real world. All in all, this conference provided a special look into a characteristic so instrumental to people, that of caring. From the military, to CEOs, to regular civilians such as college students, caring for others and investing in their lives is a goal so many embrace and therefore I aspire to achieve the rest of my life.
Representing Bucknell were:
- Alex Bolinger (football)
- Mike Caruso (football)
- Sarah Dohler (women's lacrosse)
- Leah Fogelsanger (field hockey)
- Delanie Lewis (volleyball)
- Kaelyn Long (field hockey)
- Eva Macris (women's lacrosse)
- Kelsey O'Loughlin (volleyball)
- Kali Peeples (women's lacrosse)
- Brandon Stokes (wrestling)
- Brittany Willwerth (field hockey)
- Heather Schnepf (assistant field hockey coach)
- Jen Kentera (senior associate AD, leadership development)
- Eline Vermeulen (student-athlete development assistant)
This year's conference featured the theme "Invest in Your People: The Power of Mentorship". As described on the conference's website, leaders who invest in the personal and professional success of their people create a fruitful work environment. A culture of mentorship rises above individual differences, creates team-oriented relationships, and paints the bigger picture of an organization to accomplish its common goals. The Naval Academy Leadership Conference 2020 seeks to foster open and honest conversations about the process of mentorship, from its inevitable hardships to its invaluable rewards, so that delegates may return home with actionable tools for establishing and nurturing mentoring relationships in their own communities.
The 2020 conference was comprised of three panels: Mentoring Across Cultural Differences, Mentorship on the Battlefield, and The Importance of Role Models, Mentors and Coaches. U.S. Naval Academy Superintendent VADM Sean S. Buck delivered the opening remarks, and guest speakers included prominent military and business leaders. FBI director Christopher A. Wray delivered the closing remarks.
The U.S. Naval Academy has hosted this prestigious conference annually since 1984, and since 2002 it has extended an invitation for delegates from peer institutions in the Patriot League, ROTC programs across the country, and many formal leadership education programs embedded in universities and military academies across the globe. More than 300 delegates participate alongside selected midshipmen in various lectures, presentations, and small-group discussions.
Following this year's event, the Bison delegates got together and ranked their top-10 takeaways from the conference, and each provided their thoughts on the immediate and long-term impact of the sessions.
Top 10 Takeaways from the 2020 U.S. Naval Academy Leadership Conference
10. Make time to have those special conversations with your people outside of work.
9. Always be looking to build meaningful relationships.
8. Seek out those who are different than you.
7. Fail, but fail quickly. You are not the first person to make a mistake in your life.
6. Be comfortable making the uncomfortable decision.
5. Leaders build bridges ... but first must identify the gaps.
4. The way we lead affects the way people live.
3. Instill confidence in yourself and those around you.
2. Be able to have open, honest conversations with team members.
1. Listen to care, don't listen to respond.
Alex Bolinger, FootballImmediate Impact:
The few days that we were able to spend in Annapolis created some of my most valuable experiences. I was lucky and fortunate to be able to attend the conference and learned even more than I was expecting. One of the most immediate takeaways I had during the conference was the value of relationship building. Genuine relationships create trust which is foundational to any organization, team or company's success. When Vice Aadmiral Buck said, "A bitching sailor is a happy sailor," it expressed how important trust was to him. That even if one of his sailors was complaining it was still valuable because it showed they still trusted him.
Long-Term Impact:
There are going to be a number of lessons from this conference that I will carry with me as time goes on. One of the most important being that you should always remain goal-orientated. Whether it is in a position of leadership or not, always remember what your individual life principles are, that why you can always have the right attitude and make it through the toughest times.
Mike Caruso, FootballImmediate Impact:
One thing that I will immediately look to do after this conference is become extremely approachable to individuals around me. Emphasizing generous listening at the Naval Academy Conference really opened my eyes to the significance of treating others the way they want to be treated, and not necessarily the way you would like to be treated.
Long-Term Impact:
Down the road, I am going to make an effort to naturally form relationships with people from different social, economic, or political backgrounds. Understanding other peoples' different experiences is critical for a productive team environment, and the most diverse teams ultimately make for the most productive teams.
Sarah Dohler, Women's LacrosseImmediate Impact:
In response to the content of the conference, I feel it is necessary for me to name my mentors and reflect deeper on the impact that they have had on my life. I left wondering whether or not the mentors that each person spoke about knew that they were looked at as such, urging me to name mine and distinguish why I view them in that role. I feel that after hearing every speaker's take on mentorship I must reflect on my own experience with it more, in order to have more intention moving forward. I want figure out what key techniques impacted me thus far and understand why that is in order to successfully be impactful as a mentee and mentor moving forward in my life.
Long-Term Impact:
In the future, I am going to make sure that I take advantage of every opportunity someone is offering me for mentorship, just as Lieutenant General Ronald L. Bailey suggested. Overall, this conference enabled me to see that having mentors for all different elements of your life is crucial for self development. Being open to new mentors enables for an expansion in your viewpoint and a growth in your sponsors. Ultimately, the best mentorships happen organically, and I will strive to become more aware when an authentic mentorship opportunity is in front of me. Taking advantage of these opportunities will allow me to have more tools to confidently lead by example for future mentees.
Leah Fogelsanger, Field HockeyImmediate Impact:
After this conference, I will immediately begin to instill confidence in myself, but also in those around me. This conference offered a great variety of speakers who each had their own unique experiences and lessons, however, there was one common theme that seemed to stand out in each of their lectures -- having confidence in yourself and being able to carry that confidence over to those who you lead so that they will be able to grow from followers to leaders themselves.
Long-Term Impact:
Long term, I look to make more meaningful connections and reach out to those who are different from me in more ways than one as. Finding people who are different from you to either be your mentor or mentee will instill more knowledge and understanding for future life experiences.
Delanie Lewis, VolleyballImmediate Impact:
After listening to several admirable individuals, I have learned that listening is the key to forming solid relationships with others and especially with teammates. Sometimes I catch myself zoning out or forgetting small details that people tell me about. One immediate impact that the conference had on me was that I am going to work on being more attentive to the people around me. Whether they are coming to me for advice, wanting someone to complain to, or just want to tell me about something that is happening in their lives, I will be there to listen and I will listen to understand. Not to respond. As I work on this skill and staying engaged during conversation, I hope that I will be able to make stronger bonds with the people around me as I will be more involved in what is going on in their lives.
Long-Term Impact:
Thinking ahead long term, I am going to try to trust that people are most likely more helpful than what I perceive them to be. I have always had an issue with asking people for help because I feel like it is annoying to them. In reality, I realize how important mentorship is and how willing people actually are to help if they have already experienced the things that I am struggling with. I will work on reaching out to people when I need help and being confident when I do so.
Kaelyn Long, Field HockeyImmediate Impact:
The immediate impact I plan to take back to my team is the importance of just listening. In order to invest in my people (in this case, my teammates), I need to practice empathetic listening. By just listening, I will begin to develop that unilateral relationship built on trust and care. I loved the quote from the conference, "We measure success by the way we touch the lives of people" and I strongly believe we touch others by showing we care about them and have their best interest in mind.
Long-Term Impact:
Long term, this conference taught me the importance of establishing a diverse group of mentors, both alike and different than me. In order to establish this type of relationship, I need to actually take advantage of advice/guidance when it is being offered. The conference reiterated the importance of being aggressive as a mentee by jumping on any and all opportunities ... you cannot sit back as a mentee! You ultimately must have a good attitude and be goal driven as a mentee, which I think are life applicable skills that extends far beyond this conference.
Eva Macris, Women's LacrosseImmediate Impact:
After attending this amazingly influential conference, I learned so much about the importance of interpersonal relationships. So the immediate impact I plan to take is to value and continuously work on my relationships with my teammates, classmates, and peers. My midshipman moderator told me that everyday she simply lives by the line, "choose to carry more." I plan to implement this in my life in and outside of the athletic arena.
Long-Term Impact:
In the future, I hope to take the knowledge gained from this conference and make a real difference in the lives of the people around me, just as the speakers that I had the honor to listen to did in their lives. I do not want to lose sight of the power of relationships with people, and to connect not only with those similar to me, but those who are vastly different.
Kelsey O'Loughlin, VolleyballImmediate Impact:
The Naval Academy was an incredible place to be in learning about the power of mentorship. This whole experience taught me about the importance of meaningful relationships with all of my teammates. I will begin to ask about the small stuff in the lives of my teammates with all that they have going on in their lives. Hearing the speakers talk about the mentors in their lives reminded me of how fortunate I am to have those in my life who have always helped and believed in me. All of those who spoke and reflected on their experiences in life and professionally, all said that the most meaningful relationships they have are with the ones who care for them as a person first. As I go forward into my season, I intend to focus on being a better listener when people speak to me, in order to be a better friend and mentor.
Long-Term Impact:
In the long term, I will take away how important it is to be someone who is approachable. As a professional and a person, being able to be caring and communicate with others is invaluable.
Kali Peeples, Women's LacrosseImmediate Impact:
The Naval Academy Leadership Conference taught me that it is extremely important to make an effort to learn more about the lives of my teammates. I will start asking about their days more and asking about how they feel. There were many interesting speakers from all different backgrounds within this conference; one common factor between these mentors is that they connected with people who took a personal interest in their well-being and future success. Without these caring individuals, many of the speakers at the conference would not have had the confidence or motivation to try and achieve their goals. I want to help my teammates succeed in all their goals and I will do these by being their emotional support if they are going through tough times.
Long-Term Impact:
My long term goal after this conference is to make a concerted effort in trying to find a mentor that will help me with my future endeavors. I would like to find someone I can rely on and get their advice when I am confused or in trouble. This conference taught me the importance of mentors. Mentors have the wisdom and the experience to help guide younger individuals in a direction that will be beneficial to them in the future. For now on, I will try to meet with professors or coaches that I connect with and try to ask them questions about their careers and their opinions on tracks that I can take to advance my career. I will take into account their opinions and make the best decision for me. I will also try to find a different array of mentors so that I can compare the different opinions of people that I speak to.
Brandon Stokes, WrestlingImmediate Impact:
This was my second year attending this prestigious conference, so of course I had an idea of what was going to be offered over the four days. The leaders that spoke displayed a diverse array of experiences, from Medal of Honor recipients, to CEOs of some of the most successful companies in the country. This year was a new opportunity for me to build on my leadership skills, all while being able to hear from a new group of speakers and learning more about how to incorporate these into my life here at Bucknell.
Long-Term Impact:
The long term impact this conference will have on my life is still to be determined, but I hope that these lessons I have learned will help me to be a better brother, leader, father and husband as well as anything else life will offer. The networking provided through a conference like this will allow me to connect with many other individuals, some who are leaders in the present, as well as those who will be great leaders in the future. The mentors that I have had in my life up to this point have greatly impacted my life positively, and I hope that I can help others out in the same way that my mentors were able to help me.
Brittany Willwerth, Field HockeyImmediate Impact:
Having attended the conference for a second year, I was once again inspired by the astounding patriotism, courage, and leadership qualities embraced by so many individuals in the military. One immediate goal I have going forward was inspired from a suggestion by Lieutenant General Ronald L. Bailey who described, "It is important to improve the skill of listening to those your nurture." In order to be a good leader, mentor, and teammate, it is incredibly important to genuinely value the voices of those who follow you, ultimately seeking to develop trust. Serving as such a simple proposition, this strategy can profoundly affect relationships with others.
Long-Term Impact:
This conference taught me to value my mistakes, instill confidence in myself and others, and respect the power of difference. While on the surface these components seem simple, they nonetheless bring to light elements so often overlooked when growing up and entering the real world. All in all, this conference provided a special look into a characteristic so instrumental to people, that of caring. From the military, to CEOs, to regular civilians such as college students, caring for others and investing in their lives is a goal so many embrace and therefore I aspire to achieve the rest of my life.
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