Nanci Henderson Memorial Scholarship

I believe that everyone has the power to change the world, sometimes, all they need is a little spark. My interest in kinesiology was ignited through my experiences in athletics. Having been a track and field athlete since I was eight years old and a couple years as a basketball player, I’ve learned the importance of discipline, perseverance, and teamwork which has been the best part of being a student athlete for me. Being a student athlete has cultivated in my character the values of discipline and resilience—not only on the field but in my personal life. Running and competing bring me joy and a sense of calmness in my life. Along with my interest in sports, I’ve also spent the past four years volunteering with a non-profit organization for youth. Through this, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in different events, such as neighborhood cleanups, food and toy drives, and volunteering at senior centers and animal shelters. These experiences have not only allowed me to give back to my community but also helped me continue to improve leadership skills. Growing up, I didn’t always have the confidence I carry today. People often said I argued like a lawyer, but if you ask my mom, she'd tell you I was just bossy. Attending schools where I was often one of the few female sprinters, I felt the need to work harder than everyone else to be recognized for my achievements. I had to be assertive, even "bossy," to prove that as a female, I could be just as good as my male peers—if not better. My competitive spirit and love for running is another reason why I want to excel as an athletic trainer. Female athletic trainers are underrepresented in male professional sports. For example, in 2020, the NFL had only eight full-time female athletic trainers. I want to be a part of the shift in this demographic. My parents always reminded me, “You can’t be what you don’t see, and you can’t play a role that you’ve never seen someone play.” This lesson taught me the importance of representation, sparking my desire to be a role model for other young females in sports. I hope to ignite the spark for other female runners and keep running and competing into my 60s, just like Nanci did. Reading about her participation in the National Senior Games has truly sparked my interest. Leadership, hard work, and perseverance are some of the qualities I have gained throughout my life through track and field, which have prepared me to begin my new journey of higher education, collegiate running, becoming an athletic trainer, and a first-generation college graduate. Being granted this scholarship would enable me to continue giving back by igniting the spark for other young athletes to pursue their passions, goals, and encourage them to serve their communities. I am committed to investing my life and career in creating positive impacts that will transcend into future generations.

Being a student athlete has provided opportunities in all areas of my life. I have made incredible relationships, been exposed to amazing people, been given the opportunity to travel the world, built myself up and learned resilience, but what I love most about being a student athlete has been finding my voice and using it to make impactful change in the world. My name is Alicia Serratos and I am an elite wrestler. Through this sport, I have experienced many wonderful things and have grown tremendously. However, I have also experienced some of the not so wonderful things that one would in a male dominated sport. I have not only witnessed, but have personally experienced everything from inequities, bullying, Title IX violations and have even been touched inappropriately by a coach. These unfortunate occurrences have also provided me with tremendous growth and have inspired me to create systems to help prevent the same from happening to others. In 2022, I came up with the idea to create an online course for coaching females in the sport of wrestling. I wanted something that would educate coaches on the differences in coaching females compared to males, bring them up to speed on Title IX, highlight inequities and simply cover best practices when it came to coaching females in the sport of wrestling. Wrestle Like a Girl loved the concept, adopted the idea and with USA Wrestling, the course is now hosted online and is a requirement for certain levels of coaching. I was awarded the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award, as well as an ESPY for my contributions. Now, I am developing a similar online course that focuses on the athlete, educating and empowering young women to understand their rights, become knowledgeable about inequities and Title IX and addressing how to navigate issues when they arise. My hope is to be able to cover all aspects of possible scenarios that could put an athlete in a compromising situation. Wrestling has played an imperative role in my growth as a person and sports advocate. I feel as though I have truly found my voice through the sport of wrestling. It has given me the strength and courage to speak my truth and to make my pain my purpose. I am now able to take my expereinces and make impactful change and hopefully inspire the next generation of student athletes to do the same.