In late May, Arizona Athletics proudly sent five student-athletes to the 2024 Black Student-Athlete Summit in Los Angeles, Calif. The four-day event was attended by over 2,300 students and professionals and is dedicated to preparing Black student-athletes for a life beyond sports. Through workshops, panel discussions, career fairs, and networking opportunities, the summit equips participants with the skills and knowledge necessary for their future success. Summit topics included financial literacy, mental health and social activism to name a few.

"My favorite part of the summit was getting to experience and be in a space surrounded by black student-athletes as well as professionals from different backgrounds," said Mackenzie Moring, a junior on the soccer team. "There was so much black excellence in every room that I entered. It's always amazing to come together and share knowledge and experiences with student-athletes and professionals that relate to me on so many levels."

A unique aspect of the summit that many students look forward to is the Pro Day event. At this event, current students had the opportunity to network with over 90 former student-athletes in diverse career fields from across the country. Former student-athletes represented industries like business, healthcare, media, technology, construction, engineering, professional sports, law and so much more.

"My favorite part of the summit was the Pro Day breakout sessions, where I was able to go into different meetings with guest speakers that were in a field that I was interested in," said Genesis Smith, a sophomore on the Arizona football team. "I am really into fashion, and there was a great speaker who is a famous stylist that I was able to connect with and learn some new things."

Trinity Dorsey, a junior on the soccer team also agreed that Pro Day was the most impactful.

"My favorite part of the summit was attending the social impact session during Pro Day. It was really empowering to hear the panelists stories about how they have gotten to where they are today, starting from what they endured in their youth, gaining the necessary skills from being a student athlete and using all of those things to make an impact on communities and policy at all levels."

Testimonies like this showcase the summit's goal of preparing students for life beyond sports by equipping students with the tools to thrive in all aspects of life, embracing a holistic approach to the word "success."

"One thing I took away from this experience was how playing soccer my whole life has prepared me for so many things I want to do after soccer. The speakers and other student-athletes at the summit helped me realize the transferable skills I hold as a student-athlete and how applicable they are in my personal and professional life," said Dorsey.

Journey Tucker, a sophomore on the Volleyball, shared similar insights:

"One key thing that I took away from the Summit that I will implement in my life is learning to implement and create a different life outside of athletics and learning to create a new identity aside from being an athlete. That way it will become an easier transition once my time in sports is up."

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