February 8, 2011
ECC Third Experience in Community and Character Leadership Workshop A Huge Success
Central Islip, N.Y. - Over 35 East Coast
Conference student-athletes gathered at the conference office
located on the NYIT Central Islip campus this weekend for the third
Experience in Community and Character leadership workshop.
The weekend kicked-off with an exploration of leadership styles
which included a DiSC assessment and self-discovery discussion led
by Jessica Cherry from York College. Next, the
student-athletes worked on creating their personal brand and
discussed how to positively represent themselves, their teams, and
their institutions.
“Words cannot express my gratitude to the ECC, the
facilitators, and the coordinators of this enlightening
leadership conference,” Jessie Stavola, a junior member of
the Dowling softball team stated. “The forum has been an
eye opening experience that has helped me to grow as leader, not
only on my team but in my community and at my school.”
“The weekend was a great experience, I learned more about
myself and how to become an effective leader whether it's in the
classroom, the sports field, or in the workplace,” added St.
Thomas Aquinas freshman golfer Thomas Linehan.
The two-day programming was not just focused on leadership, but
spanned a variety of character building topics that would help
student-athletes prepare for the future. Joseph Maniscalco,
partner and co-founder of LaMonica Herbst & Maniscalco, LLP,
provided a session on personal finance while Nancy Kaplan of the
National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) hosted a
thought-provoking session on diversity.
On Friday evening, the student-athletes headed to a local
restaurant for some good food and an inspirational speech from
motivational speaker Rohan Murphy. Murphy, a native of nearby East
Islip, N.Y., lost his legs at young age after being born with a
defect. This didn’t stop Murphy from becoming an all-county
wrestler in high school and becoming a member of the wrestling team
at Penn State University. Rohan, who is currently training for the
2012 Paralympic Games, delivered his message that you can achieve
anything if you dedicate yourself to the student-athletes.
“We were honored to be able to have Rohan Murphy be part
of our ECC Leadership program. His message of commitment,
dedication, courage and never giving up really hit home to all
those in attendance,” said East Coast Conference Commissioner
Robert Dranoff. “He is a winner, a hero and a role model for
young and old alike and we are so pleased that we have developed
this connection with him and look forward to continue working with
him in the future.”
Former student-athletes stopped in on Saturday morning to
discuss their careers and the transition from college to the
professional world. Mike Abbene (Dowling, men’s lacrosse),
Patrick Cunnigham (Dowling, men’s soccer), Katelyn Dunn
(Molloy, women’s basketball), Michael Grasso (Molloy,
baseball), Caitlin Snyder (Mercy, softball), Larry Torres (Dowling,
baseball), Jenna Ament (NYIT, women’s soccer), and AJ
DiMichele (Molloy, baseball) volunteered time to share their
experiences.
The event culminated with a Valentine’s Day Carnival for
local youth. Over 65 families showed up for the event which
featured carnival games run by the student-athletes, valentine
craft stations, and dinner.
“The student-athletes of the East Coast Conference
really stepped up again at this year's Experience in Community and
Character Leadership program,” said Dranoff. “From
start to finish they took part in valuable learning and personal
development sessions as well as an opportunity to give back to the
community with our Valentine's Day Carnival. I think all of
our participants took back some very positive information and
memories.”
Dranoff continued, “Our partnership with The South Shore
Youth Organization and director Melanie Holz helped us draw an even
greater number of community families than last year and made this a
strong community engagement activity.”
The ECC Experience in Community and Character is another way
to enrich the student-athlete experience as well as bring together
the East Coast Conference community.
“This leadership conference was really great. I got to
meet some great people. It was good to meet people from different
countries as well as leaders that are successful from throughout
the ECC. I learned leadership qualitites, did some community
service, and it brough new aspects to my life,” commented
Andrew Jackson, a junior on the C.W. Post football
team.
To view photos of the event, add the East Coast Conference as
a facebook friend or click
here.
