Learning to Lead

One of the first things I learned coming to college is that if you want to be seen as a leader you need to adopt a different mindset.

I was always trying to set a good example in high school back in Yorkville, Illinois. I ran track, was on the swim team and played club soccer, serving as a captain in all three. I was an honor student all four years. I was president of the Spanish club and was a leadership chairperson for our student council, too.

I still see myself as a leader now as a member of the Wisconsin men’s track and field team, but the process has changed as I’ve grown and made my way through college. In high school I felt as though I had to step up and take control without hesitating or thinking about anything. When you’re in college you’re around a lot of other ambitious people. I’ve learned to be more collaborative. That’s the approach I’ve taken on a couple of important fronts at UW.

I’m the chairman for strategic partnerships for Student-Athletes Equally Supporting Others (SAESO), an eight-person organization that works to bring student-athletes together from different cultures, ethnicities, lifestyles and beliefs to enhance their time on campus. According to the SAESO constitution, its purpose is to “foster a diverse learning environment in support of the mission of both UW-Madison and the athletic department.”

I’m also on the six-person executive board for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which is in place to enhance the complete student-athlete experience at UW by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete welfare and fostering a positive image for them.

Those incidents brought violence and destruction to Madison last May. I saw it firsthand. It blew my mind, but I also understood it. After Floyd was killed in broad daylight at the hands of police in Minneapolis, a bunch of us walked in the peaceful march on State Street and the Capitol Square during the day, but after we got back home and went out to eat, we saw on Twitter that things had gotten out of hand. In two hours, things had totally changed as fires were set, property was destroyed and people were injured. It was crazy. I’d never seen anything like that in my life.

If you walk State Street now you still see businesses boarded up, some still dark and empty. It’s a reminder that peaceful protests were tainted by some and that’s still upsetting to me. But you also see beautiful artwork and inspirational messages on those store fronts. Some of us went up there last spring and participated in a candle-light vigil. It was great to be a part of something like that.

I’m proud of the way those in the UW athletic department responded to these circumstances. I heard that several coaches, without organization or prompting, showed up on State Street after the first round of damage and helped in the clean-up effort.

The “Unity Rally for Diversity” march, which included UW Athletics administrators, coaches and student-athletes last September, was amazing because no one was forced to participate. To hear well-known speakers, Black and white, call for change and more racial respect on campus was heartening as well as healing. I remember walking with my peers a bit shocked, thinking this was a great moment for Wisconsin. To see that, it was a tremendous show of support.

Everyone in the rally wore black shirts with a crested “W” logo. We fought very hard to have the color of the “W” changed from white to Black and to have the emblem incorporated into our Badgers uniforms this year. We had to jump through a lot of hoops — so many meetings and discussions with campus officials — but the end result was worth it.

Every UW student-athlete, regardless of skin color or sport, has a story about how the pandemic has affected their life. Some have lost whole seasons. Some have been deprived of championship moments. Some have had their roster spots given to someone else. Some have dealt first-hand with COVID-19, whether it’s family or friends. The issues are endless.

I never thought I’d miss going to class. But I do. I really miss being in a class, in a lecture hall, listening to a professor and actually being there. I’m working on a double major in operations and technology management, and marketing. I’m on pace to graduate this year. Then I’ll apply for a one-year master’s degree program.

I talked it over with Nate Davis, my events coach. He was supportive no matter what. He said he didn’t want me to go, but, academic-wise, if that’s what I needed to do then he’d support me. Nate is a great guy with great morals. I can talk to him about anything and have, from the foot thing to social justice to the Black Lives Matter movement. He’s always supportive.

Ultimately, I decided to keep at it. I’ve been competing my whole life. I enjoy working and practicing. When you enjoy practice, that’s when you know you’re in it deep.

I have a vastly different group of friends at UW compared to high school. There, I was the token Black kid in a clique. Now I have friends from all different places, all different colors, all different religions, all different everything. I’ve found that it’s easier to find people who have the same goals and the same thought process as I do.

One of my most prominent learning experiences as a UW student-athlete was through injury. I broke my right foot during my freshman year — I stepped weird and landed awkwardly while warming up for the long jump before a meet at Michigan — and tried to come back too quickly. It made me appreciate the importance of patience and the process of getting better gradually.

That said, I think we need to push harder for change in our world. There are a lot of things we can do to make it better. I’m prepared to help lead the way.

Did you enjoy reading this? Read more My Words stories from the Badgers here.