Colleen Finney’s exceptional performance on the court every day for Clemson Volleyball does not go unnoticed, but some may overlook the success Finney has had in the professional world. This past summer, Finney collected several once-in-a-lifetime experiences to prepare her for her future.
In late May, Finney was one of four Clemson athletes given the opportunity to attend the Black Student-Athlete Summit in Houston, Texas. The three-day event allowed black student-athletes from across the nation to come together to network, share their experiences and learn from each other.
“I really think that was one of the greatest things I have ever gotten to do. Being able to meet black student-athletes from across the nation and being able to talk openly about issues that affect us every single day was a unique experience,” explained Finney.
The summit challenged its attendees to have hard conversations about their opinions and experiences, judgment free.
“My favorite activity we got to do while at the summit was when we had a panelist give us a couple of questions that we had to answer. Then, you either went on one side of the issue or another. It was nice to be able to sit there, debate and stand on issues that we thought were important to us. When people think of black student-athletes, or the black experience in general, they believe everyone thinks the same way on issues, but that’s not true. It was nice to talk about why we think certain things without backlash. Everyone was so open, and we could talk candidly about things.”
Dr. Leonard N. Moore is the founder and executive director of the Black Student-Athlete Summit, and Finney shared that she was able to build a relationship with him while in Houston.
“He is the one that has been allowing black student-athletes to flourish and grow throughout the years. He and his wife really are just great people. The way they ran the entire program was fantastic. We started to build a personal relationship, but beyond that, he is a great mentor and overseer of the event.”
At the conclusion of the event, Dr. Moore shared with all attendees that they would be selecting a male and female representative to attend the Sports Business Classroom Business of Basketball Immersive Experience on a full scholarship.
“I wrote a personal email to Dr. Moore explaining how much I wanted the opportunity, and how it aligns with what I want to do in the future. I was the first person to send him an interest email,…