ABINGTON, Pa. — Standout Penn State Abington student-athlete Hailey Gamble is singing the praises of the NCAA annual convention that she attended last month in Nashville. She had the opportunity to weigh in on issues that affect student-athletes on the conference and national level and learn about the mechanics of the complex organization.
“I learned how to interact with others, communicate difficult topics, and advocate for important issues at the conference,” said Gamble, who is president of Abington’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
It also infused her with a deeper appreciation of her peers.
“Seeing thousands of other people just like me care about the same exact types of things, and they weren't afraid to speak up in front of thousands of people with power was incredible. Our generation is going to be making so many waves within this world, and I’m so excited and proud of the people we are all becoming,” the four-year softball player said.
Gamble attended forums on leadership, diversity, employee recruitment for athletics, NIL (name, image and likeness), and the United East Athletic Conference, and she spent time with other Division III student-athletes from across the country discussing the successes happening on their campuses.
She was thrilled when she learned last fall that she would attend the conference with Abington Chancellor Gary Liguori and Director of Athletics, Intramurals and Recreation Erin Foley.
"It was a tremendous honor for Hailey to be selected to attend as a student-athlete representative for the United East Athletic Conference and Penn State Abington," Foley said. "The student-athlete perspective is so important when making decisions on legislation and issues that will affect their athletic and academic experience, and Hailey's insight helped shape those discussions to keep student-athletes at the forefront of those conversations."
It wasn’t all business for Gamble and the other student-athletes while they were in Music City.
“We made sure to explore downtown Nashville, find lots of good restaurants, and even made time to listen to great live music,” she said.