COMMUNITY OUTREACH HIGHLIGHTS

NCAA STUDENT-ATHLETE LEADERSHIP FORUM

The annual NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum has been a space for studentathletes to learn and develop leadership skills since 1997. This year through nominations with the WCC, Yvonne Ejim was selected to join this prestigious forum. Here she was able to connect with other student-athletes across conferences and divisions to hear from guest speakers while connecting through the NCAA Leadership programs.

“My experience at the NCAA SALF was an honorable and memorable one. I would say that it is one of life’s moments I won’t ever be able to forget. It has changed my life in so many ways, but especially in the intentionality of how I decide to live my life, why I do what I do, and being able to revisit and even define those values in my life was impactful not only for me but for the people around me. This forum helped me gain skills that I can use to be a better person to serve the others around me throughout my life and this clarity has come from the Leadership Forum and I am forever grateful.” -

Yvonne Ejim

The Life Skills Program prepares studentathletes for their futures following graduation and life after sport through a variety of career development programs. Close relationships and collaboration with GU’s Career and Professional Development department further support student-athletes with their career planning. This year we held our annual Sophomore Career Meeting laying the foundation for our programming discussing resumes and other helpful tools as well as our Junior Panic Assessment to help gauge what student-athletes next best steps are looking toward their senior year.

The twelfth Senior Student-Athlete Resume Book was published, featuring portfolios of the graduating class of 2023. Each of their resumes displays the unique achievements and accolades they earned as a Zag. The goal of the Resume Book is to assist student-athletes in networking with

Gonzaga Athletics has a unique partnership with Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington and Gonzaga University. Student-athletes were able to build a close relationship with Gonzaga Family Haven residents through educational programming, sports activities and serving meals. Student-athletes were able to connect and support families that faced homelessness.

3,929 of student-athletes participated in a community outreach event hours served

92% teams had a 100% participation rate

11 items collected for warm clothing drive

1,291 items collected for toiletry items drive $573 + 1,958 hours served by the Baseball team, averaging 21 hours per student-athlete

114

819 student-athletes volunteered at the annual Trunk-or-Treat event in partnership with Catholic Charities

AND MORE:

Zags went to Garfield Elementary on Election Day to read “I Voted” and talk about their college experience.

With the opening of the new Gonzaga Family Haven, the Zags have been able to create a lasting partnership with the families that live there, consistently going to play games and do crafts. We filled 72 Christmas stockings with gas and grocery cards, games, toys, and stuffed animals specific to each family.

The Zags organized an Easter Egg Hunt on campus offering over 1400 eggs to the Catholic Charities community.