Robles Implements Lessons from NCAA Leadership Forum to Life

In April, JMU men's soccer senior Rodrigo Robles attended the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum in Maryland. Robles found out he was selected as one of two athletes to represent the Sun Belt Conference at the event back in December of 2022.

The forum brought together over 250 student-athletes, coaches and athletic administrators for a three-day experience. At the conference, participants were divided into smaller teams to help facilitate a space for meaningful connection.

"At first, I thought it was going to be super hard to open up to these people. In two hours, it felt like we had been together for a lifetime. During the very last session, it was like we were already a family and I think those are friends I will keep forever," Robles said.

Each year, the conference centers around a different theme - this year's was Beyond the Box, a theme that Robles immediately resonated with.

"A lot of what the theme focused on is how can you get yourself outside of your comfort zone," Robles said. "For me, English is not my first language, so I've always been a little bit scared of speaking in front of an audience and that was a good opportunity for me to be outside of the box - to start speaking in front of 30 people that I don't know."

Robles went into the conference hoping to grow his leadership skills and came away from the weekend believing it was a "once in a lifetime experience."

"I've been a leader my whole life, but I had so much to learn and I still have so much to learn. Those four days helped me to understand how to better lead a team. The biggest thing I took from that conference was to make sure I am listening more than speaking, and hearing everyone's opinion," Robles said.

Head men's soccer coach Paul Zazenski has seen Robles grow as a player over his time with the team.

"Everything he does in his life, he aspires to be professional in it and productive. Whether it be soccer, academics, getting into psychology - whatever it is in his life, he's driven and dedicated. You can see that passion with whatever he does," Zazenski said.

After the conference, Zazenski saw a shift in Robles' mentality and attitude with his teammates and coaches.

"I have noticed his willingness to listen. He's really come a long way with his ability to see others' opinions and listen, and I think that that is where I've seen the biggest strides in his mentality and leadership abilities," Zazenski said. "The leadership forum helped him take that next step as a leader not only for our program, but just a leader for whatever he decides to do in his life."

At JMU, Robles serves as the chair of the Wellness Committee for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). As a psychology major, the last two years in SAAC have been important for Robles, as has an opportunity to advocate for mental health. Similar to his role in SAAC, Robles wanted to "be involved with the community and positively represent JMU."

As a transfer from West Virginia University, Robles appreciates the extra opportunities that JMU offers so he can "meet and bond with people from different teams to create a sense of community at JMU."

The NCAA forum gave Robles an opportunity to do just that and learn from other athletes at various schools.

"The forum gave us an opportunity to see how other institutions work and learn from them," Robles said. "I'm trying to get the best ideas to implement them on our campus."

Zazenski recognizes Robles' "passion for the things in his life" and how his leadership inspires his teammates.

"He's a leader in everything he does," Zazenski said. "You can tell that he's invested and that rubs off on the people that are around him. He wants our team to be successful and he wants to be successful and other guys see that and follow."

Outside of soccer, Robles is involved in several extracurriculars, including coaching youth sports in Harrisonburg. Zazenski believes that it is vital for athletes to be diverse in their endeavors during college.

"Our players need to take advantage of as much as possible by getting out into the community, getting on campus and trying different things," Zazenski said. "It's hard as a student-athlete, but it's going to benefit them to be well-versed and have a number of different things and experiences to draw off for whatever they decide to do in their life."

Although he only has one semester remaining with the team before graduation in December, Robles has taken every advantage available to him within the JMU soccer program and hopes to continue playing soccer after graduation.

In the coming months, Robles hopes that he can continue to implement the lessons he learned from the forum into the JMU athletics community as educational workshops.

"This content could be very powerful for team captains as we share so much knowledge with our teams, especially in terms of crucial conversations, which can be super powerful for a captain and a key attribute to the success of a team," Robles said. "The true leaders here at JMU will see this as an opportunity to grow."

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