Vol basketball’s Grant Williams learned to touch hearts in the VOLeaders Academy.
Playing wheelchair basketball in Ecuador, Grant Williams realized how he could use his sport to make a difference. “There was a man who had just recently been paralyzed,” says Williams. “He was nervous about playing, but I showed him he could do it. Being able to touch his life and give him something he can enjoy, it meant a lot to me. I was able to make someone smile.”
Each year, a cohort of UT student–athletes are selected to take part in the VOLeaders Academy, a dynamic partnership with UT’s Division of Student Life; the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences; and the Department of Athletics. Admiral Schofield completed the program in 2017, Williams took part in 2017-18, and sophomore forward Derrick Walker is a part of the 2018-19 cohort.
The program begins with a full-day retreat before the start of fall classes focusing on individual and group development. During the year the group takes two 3-credit courses: 1) Leadership in Sport, focused on the art of self-leadership using the foundations of leadership theory as a framework, and 2) Sport for Social Change, teaching leadership principles, professionalism, critical thinking, and cross-cultural communication skills through sport-based service.
“It was about growing as an individual and who I am as a person and being able to use my sport to benefit other people,” says Williams. “I realized I had many things I needed to work on before I was able to lead.”
The academy concludes with a 10-day overseas cultural exchange, in which the students experience applied leadership and service opportunities focused on community development and social change through sport. “This trip allows our student-athletes to really understand the power of sport and the capability of sport to unite and connect people from around the world,” says Joe Scogin, senior associate athletics director, assistant provost, and director of the Thornton Center.
“Being able to change one person’s life,” says Williams, “can impact another life and branches out to change more lives.”
Williams’ class focused on how sport can impact people with disabilities. On their first full day in Ecuador, the VOLeaders visited the US ambassador and co-hosted a festival for athletes with disabilities. Along with wheelchair basketball, they played seated volleyball, in which the VOLeaders had to stay seated on the court and get the ball over a lower net using only their arms. They also wore blinders while playing blind soccer alongside Ecuadorians with visual impairments.
Teaching these gifted athletes great leadership skills will give them a lifetime of influence that will help them make a lasting impact on the world.
– Donnie Smith (’80), VOLeaders Academy donor
“Overall, the program has taught me to be open and honest,” says Williams. “It’s taught me to understand your weaknesses and attack them. There’s the idea of leading in the middle—you can lead in front, lead in back—but it’s about great relationships.”
“The VOLeaders Academy is one of the most innovative programming initiatives in the country,” says Scogin. “The depth of personal development, the ability to learn from national and global experts in leadership education, and the international service component provides a life-changing experience.”
“You can form connections with different cultures,” says Williams, “and these connections will help you in life. I can travel and take part in another culture and make a difference in another part of the world.”
UT launched the VOLeaders Academy in 2015, thanks to support from people like 1980 UT alumni Terry and Donnie Smith, former CEO of Arkansas-based Tyson Foods Inc., who made a significant investment in the future of the academy.
“Terry and I believe that this investment in leadership development will yield tremendous dividends for generations to come,” says Smith. “The author, speaker, and pastor John Maxwell says, ‘Everything rises and falls on leadership.’ Teaching these gifted athletes great leadership skills will not only help them in their endeavors while at school, it will also give them a lifetime of influence that will help them make a lasting impact on the world.”
