April 26, 2006
LAS VEGAS - UNLV guard and Las Vegas native Sequoia Holmes was recently selected to represent UNLV at the 2006 NCAA Leadership Conference, to be held in Orlando on May 28-June 1.
Holmes, a rising junior on the Lady Rebels basketball team, is one of 352 NCAA student-athletes who were tabbed as current or future leaders on their college campuses. She also becomes the fourth UNLV representative to make the prestigious trip, following former Rebel football players Reggie Butler (2004) and Tony Terrell (2002), and swimmer Janel Frei (1998).
One of three Lady Rebels to start all 30 games in 2005-06, Holmes finished third on the team and 26th in the Mountain West Conference with 8.9 points per game, and also finished among league leaders in assists (2.73 apg) and steals (2.17 spg).
"We are always honored when one of our student-athletes is selected for the national leadership conference," said UNLV Campus Life Skills Coordinator Janice Henry. "For Sequoia to be attending this summer's conference is a real honor, as she is just one of 352 to be selected to attend. The conference will help all that attend with their leadership skills both on and off the court, and will give Sequioa the ability to develop and use those skills in her future here at UNLV, both with her teammates and with others around her."
The leadership group will meet through June 1 at Disney's Yacht Beach Club Resort and the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex to discuss key issues in intercollegiate athletics and to enhance leadership skills.
The student-athlete leaders were selected from a total of 1,319 nomination from 333 institutions, and the nominees were submitted by college and university officials who have NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills programs at their schools. They represent Divisions I, II and III, and fall, winter and spring sports.
The NCAA Leadership Conference provides NCAA student-athletes with a forum to openly discuss issues that may affect them on their campuses and in their communities, while also providing them with the opportunity to enhance their leadership, communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills. The leadership conference also promotes better communication among student-athletes, coaches, administrators, faculty and communities. The five-day leadership conference consists of daily exercises and activities to help the student-athletes develop as individuals and as contributing members to a group.
Following the leadership conference, the student-athletes will be asked to share their experiences and topic discussions with their campus SAAC, as well as other campus leaders. The participants are also asked to develop a self-directed project that will address an issue on their campus or in their community and implement the project once they return to their schools.
Selection criteria for the conference include the student-athletes' demonstrated ability and strong desire to be a leader and the student-athletes' potential to benefit significantly from a leadership development experience. In order to be eligible for the conference, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing, and must have athletics eligibility remaining in the following academic year. A committee comprised of CHAMPS/Life Skills coordinators from member institutions and former NCAA student-athletes review the nominations to determine the final selections. The committee also works to ensure that the conference includes a diverse group of student-athletes, coaches and administrators.
