VB | Kimberly DeBoer Represents Gators at NCAA Leadership Forum

SAN FRANCISCO – Kimberly DeBoer of the San Francisco State volleyball team represented SF State Athletics and the California Collegiate Athletic Association at the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum April 13-16 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Joining DeBoer in Baltimore were fellow CCAA athletes Steve Perez from Cal State LA men's soccer and Samiya Terry of Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball.

“I am so grateful to have been able to represent SFSU and the CCAA among the amazing leaders and administrators from across the country,” stated DeBoer. “This weekend taught me that in order to be a great leader, we need to connect back to our authentic selves to lead others and work with them. I was so grateful to connect with such an amazing group of people on my Green Team. Each one of us showed vulnerability which allowed us to grow and learn from the experiences we were sharing.”

The NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum, created in 1997, has served as a life-changing experience for more than 5,000 student-athletes who have grown personally and professionally as a result of their attendance. Student-athletes selected to attend the forum return to campus with invaluable leadership skills, a refined understanding of the relationship among personal values, core beliefs and behavioral styles, and the support of a close personal network of like-minded peers to provide continued connection and dialogue after the program concludes.

“As Kimberly’s SAAC and Academic advisor, it was a tremendous achievement to see Kimberly nominated as one of the student representative for the CCAA,” Stated SAAC Advisor Paula Hsieh. “Having attended the conference myself, I knew that it would be a great learning experience for her to learn innovative and authentic ways of leaderships and for her to continue developing her own unique style of leading SAAC. I am looking forward to next year as she continues her role as the SAAC President and to see the amazing things that I know she is capable of. I am immensely proud of her and grateful that to the NCAA and the CCAA for providing Kimberly the opportunity to attend as I know that this will positively impact SAAC and the department as a whole.”

The theme of the conference was “Beyond the Box.” Below are some of DeBoer’s key take aways from the conference:

•          You can do everything; you can’t do it all at once. Be disciplined and determined enough to create a plan to accomplish all of it.

•          Leadership Success has to do a lot more to do with the people that are around you. Great leaders sit on a great organization.

•          Be quick to listen, and slow to speak.

•          Don’t be afraid to fail. 

•          Don’t go through it, grow through it.

•          Process and a path you never anticipated, the plans for you and your future are far greater than you could ever imagine.

•          You don’t rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.

•          If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” -African Proverb