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.

(This Article Was Provided by Casey Rafferty, Media Relations ECC)