CHICAGO, Ill. - Saginaw Valley State University was represented by student-athletes Dan Norton of the Cardinal baseball team and Diamond Taylor of the women's track team as participants at the 2011 NCAA Student–Athlete Leadership Forum in Chicago.  They were also joined at the conference by SVSU Head Tennis Coach Jenn Boehm.

The Leadership Forum was created to engage a diverse and dynamic representation of student-athletes, coaches, faculty, and administrators and provide pertinent and customized sessions that will enhance personal awareness and leadership skills needed to impact student-athlete development at the campus and conference level, and beyond the collegiate realm.

"Whether it was stepping back and letting others lead or stepping up; the conference showed me all of the ways to approach different situations," said Diamond Taylor, a sophomore sprinter on the SVSU Track and Field squad. "Not only did I enhance my leadership qualities, but I also got the opportunity to help the community by making blankets for the Salvation Army."

As a result of attending the leadership forum, participants are given the opportunity to clarify individual values, assess behavioral styles to enhance communication, explore how values and behavior shape their unique leadership style and gain a better understanding of the NCAA, their Division and the role of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC). Student-Athletes also take part in discussions on current issues affecting themselves as student-athletes and exploring the role of service in leadership success.

"The NCAA Leadership Forum was a great experience because it helped me further enhance my leadership skills and learn the various aspects of being a leader," said Dan Norton, senior third baseman on the SVSU Baseball team. "The Forum also allowed for me to establish my core values as well as learning about my specific personality type and how to relate it to others.

The leadership forum enables participants to establish an inter-conference and regional network of peers and mentors, gain ideas on how to improve their campus and conference and share these ideas with their campus or conference. Their attendance improves student-athlete well-being by engaging in the examination of critical divisional issues.

"Overall the conference taught me a lot about myself that I didn't know, and things that I believe I needed to move forward," stated Taylor.