LEXINGTON, Va., Dec. 4, 2021—“I made a lot of connections with a lot of good people.” 

This November, Whitney Edwards-Roberson ‘22 traveled to Houston, Texas, to represent all Southern Conference athletes at the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum. A four-year soccer player and former team captain from Chesapeake, Virginia, Edwards-Roberson is hoping to continue her education and potentially work in sports marketing upon graduation.  

The Student-Athlete Leadership Forum is an annual event for college athletes, coaches, and administrators that focuses on leadership development, communication skills, and networking. Guest speakers at the event included Olympic athletes. 

“The purpose of the forum was to gather leaders together to share personal experiences and learn from other people so you can take it back to your school and your team,” Edwards-Roberson said.  

At the event, student-athletes were split into groups of 30 for intentional conversation and leadership activities. Edwards-Roberson was thankful for the relationships she built at the forum. 

“We got into some deep conversations,” Edwards-Roberson shared. “We only knew each other for 72 hours, and the bonds we built within our groups and everyone there were incredible.” 

Edwards-Roberson was thankful to see a familiar face at the conference, as alumnus Cliff Conway ‘21, an intern with the Southern Conference, was also in attendance. Edwards-Roberson and Conway previously worked together as leaders on the VMI Student Athlete Advisory Committee.  

As Edwards-Roberson looks ahead to graduation, she hopes to take the lessons she has learned at the forum and VMI and apply them to all aspects of life. 

“It was honestly a growing [experience] for me,” Edwards-Roberson stated. “Even though [the forum] was based around your athletic team, I can still take those qualities that I learned about myself there and implement them whenever I'm [on post], around my friends, at home, or in my future career path,” Edwards-Roberson said.

Whitney Edwards-Roberson ‘22 with the 'Green Team', the peer group with whom she worked.—Photos courtesy of Whitney Edwards-Roberson ‘22

Eric Moore 
Communications & Marketing 
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE