INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Women's Volleyball Head Coach and Urban Scholars Initiative (USI) Manager Yami Rojas, represented Lesley University at the 2024 NCAA Diversity and Inclusion Forum this April.
 
The NCAA Inclusion Forum brings together leaders within higher education and intercollegiate athletics, including student-athletes, to engage in powerful programming and enhance efforts on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives. Educational programming focuses on each of the office of inclusion's five core areas of disability, international, LGBTQ, race/ethnicity and women.
 
The 2024 forum included keynote speakers Dawn Staley, La China Robinson, Dr. C. Keith Harrison, and LZ Granderson.
 
"On behalf of the EDIJ Office and Athletic Department, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend the 2024 NCAA Inclusion Forum at Indianapolis, Indiana," said Rojas. "As it was my first time visiting the city of Indy, I made a quick stop at the NCAA Hall of Champions and NCAA National Office where I gained knowledge on the history and mission of the NCAA, since its establishment in 1910, to promote safety in competitive collegiate athletics and meet the academic needs of student-athletes."

At the Inclusion forum, Rojas was immersed in DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) educational programming and professional development. These efforts were led by student-athletes, leaders within higher education and intercollegiate athletics, and stakeholders in the world of sports.

Rojas shared that two sessions that most positively impacted her experience at the Forum were titled Creating Inclusive Environments that Promote Student-Athlete Mental Health and Wellbeing and
Relating to Today's Student-Athlete: Effectively Coaching Gen-Z

Some of the points shared at these sessions included:

• Allow your athletes mental health days, encouraging them to use that time to connect with a counselor or mental healthcare provider
• Encourage student-athletes to seek both routine and emergency mental health care
• Collaborate with your campus counseling team periodically for establishing rapport
• Have open discussions about mental health

Rojas enters her second year at the helm of the Lynx Women's Volleyball program and will continue to serve as Lesley's ADID (Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Designee) for the upcoming year.

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