Bucknell's Hardyway Attends Annual Black Student-Athlete Summit
6/3/2024 10:21:00 AM | Student-Athlete Enrichment
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Michael Hardyway, a senior quarterback on the Bucknell football team, attended the 2024 Black Student-Athlete Summit in Los Angeles, Calif. on the campus of the University of Southern California last weekend. The annual event brought together more than 1,500 student-athletes, university professionals and industry leaders for a four-day program that offers personal and professional development resources to student-athletes.
The goal of the summit is to prepare student-athletes for life after graduation and to foster a sense of connection within the Black student-athlete community. Hardyway is an environmental studies major with a minor in biology, and he's been involved on campus as an ambassador for the Bucknell Center for Sustainability and as an executive board member for the Bison Cares community engagement group along with being a four-year member of the Bison football team. The Oceanside, Calif. native became the first student-athlete from Bucknell to attend the summit.
"I wanted to expand my personal opinion on what it truly means to be a Black student-athlete," said Hardyway. "I wanted to be surrounded with people who look like me and are at the same stage in life while learning from those who have been exactly where we are."
This year's summit included "Table Top" discussions on topics that affect Black student-athletes, a chance to learn how to leverage athletic ability for long-term success in the world of business, industry or social impact, and the opportunity to participate in a series of career prep exercises and attend a corporate recruiting fair.
Among the most impactful experiences for Hardyway were the "Pro Day" talks with former student-athletes that are now professionals in something other than sports. 100 experts from cities, industries and companies across the country were brought in to meet with summit attendees. Hardyway was able to choose four different 45-minute sessions to learn more about areas that interest him.
"I attended sessions like Social Impact and Politics, and even more like Partnerships, Collabs and Deal Making. They gave us time to ask questions, give advice, and tell their journey on how they each got to where they are today," Hardyway said.
Other notable speakers at the summit included two-time NBA All-Star Baron Davis, ESPN host and former WNBA player Chiney Ogwumike, 2020 Olympic Silver Medalist and community activist Teahna Daniels, and Morgan Stanley Managing Director for Global Sports & Entertainment Sandra Richards.
"Davis and Ogwumike talked about financing and savings and their importance now in the NIL day and age," said Hardyway. "Jen Cohen, who is the Athletic Director at the University of Southern California, shared her journey to USC and how she works to support Black student-athletes at such a large university."
The Black Student-Athlete Summit was founded by Dr. Leonard Moore, a professor currently teaching at the University of Texas. The program has seen exponential growth since its inception in 2015. Attendees representing nearly 200 schools and athletic departments now participate. The one-of-a-kind event is open to coaches, administrators and professors alongside student-athletes, allowing those in attendance to leave inspired to develop impactful initiatives at their respective campuses to ensure Black student-athletes are prepared to excel in the workplace upon graduation.
"The summit taught the rules of the real world as Black student-athletes. It showed how, regardless of where you are in life, there is still a long way to go," said Hardyway. "Being able to hear the hard journeys from such successful people who are where I want to be brought my dreams, which seemed so hard or distant, back down to earth for me. If more Black student-athletes from Bucknell attend, they will learn the importance of mindset. As collegiate student-athletes, your mindset is already above many other people's, but this will carry on into life along with many other important lessons sports will teach you."