Five Student-Athletes Attend Black Student-Athlete Summit

FORT WORTH – Five TCU Student-Athletes attended the Black Student-Athlete Summit, May 23-26 in Los Angeles, Calif. The event is hosted annually with the goal to holistically develop Black student-athletes across the country.
 
Representing the Horned Frogs were Samiyah Abdur-Rahim (volleyball), Jonathan Bax (football), Lafayette Kaiuway (football), Isaiah Manning (men’s basketball) and DaiJa Turner (women’s basketball).
 
Following the Summit, the student-athletes provided the following reflection on their experience.
 
Samiyah Abdur-Rahim – “Attending the Black Student-Athlete Summit provided me and my peers with an invaluable opportunity to connect with individuals from across the country who share similar experiences. Beyond building new connections, my greatest takeaway was recognizing the profound impact of representation and its significance. The Summit not only facilitated meaningful relationships with fellow athletes, but also offered insights from industry leaders on their career journeys. Surrounded by Black excellence and leadership, I gained valuable knowledge on how to navigate my path beyond sports and into my future career.”
 
Jonathan Bax – “The Black Student-Athlete Summit was full of powerful and inspiring people. Meeting people that look like me embracing the same problems and discomforting situations by being at a Predominantly White Institution was somewhat comforting because it lets me know I’m not alone. Networking and building connections with others that have the same dreams and aspirations as it makes me want to accomplish my goals more and to hear their backgrounds and stories is even more inspiring. To see so many successful black peers all in one area, it’s only right that you grow and become more knowledgeable, and that is what has happened to me for these past three days. I’m grateful for this opportunity to learn and more than ready to put these skills to work!”
 
Lafayette Kaiuway – “My time here at the Black Student-Athlete Summit gave me so many eye-opening experiences in such little time. The words from all the different speakers and other athletes really showed me what I am capable of doing from my name alone and from networking the right way. I encourage other athletes to attend in the future so that they can have their own share of eye openers and really understand what it means to be more than an athlete.”
 
Isaiah Manning – “I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to attend the Black Student-Athlete Summit this past weekend. Listening to speakers from across the country and spending quality time with young black student-athletes like myself was like a breath of fresh air coming off of my first school year at a PWI. Spending time in LA at the Summit taught me the importance of being proud of my own brand and creating content that I want to create, marketing with the successful members of your field of aspiration, and how to be confident interacting with and talking to new people. In addition, I heavily encourage TCU and TCU Athletics to continue sending student-athletes to the Summit each year with increased participation in the coming years, because the value of this experience was endless to myself and the other student-athletes I attended with from TCU.”
 
DaiJa Turner – “Attending the Black Student-Athlete Summit was truly impactful. Connecting with peers who share similar experiences was invaluable, especially since these discussions are often overlooked or underestimated. The positive impact of these conversations cannot be overstated. The Black Student-Athlete Summit was a game-changer. It brought us together, let us talk about things that usually gets brushed aside, and left us feeling empowered and validated. It was a real eye-opener on how crucial these conversations are for us as Black student-athletes.”