Champions of Character Spotlight November 2018
Name: Andrea Peterson
School: St. Thomas University
Sport: Women's Cross Country
Class: Junior
Hometown: Miami. Florida
Major: Biology
Athletic Achievements: All Conference in Track and Field, placing second in the 4x800 meter relay and third in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Peterson finished Second-Team All-Conference and tenth overall with a 19:43.5 in 2017 for Cross Country.
Champions of Character Highlights: Andrea volunteers at Mount Sinai Hospital and help a team of doctors that specialize in sports surgeries from all ages. She's focusing on foot surgeries at the moment because of her love for running.
Questions for the Student-Athlete to Complete:
How do you go about living out the Champions of Character Five Core Values of Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Sportsmanship, & Servant Leadership?
"I think it’s important to combine competition and a focus on character and leadership development. There is no point in representing your university in a sport without excelling in the classroom, and leaving an impact in the community. Being guided by the five core NAIA values only help further the cause, showing you are able to serve others while competing in and out of the classroom."
The servant leadership is a key element of the Champions of Character Program. Why is servant leadership and community service important to you?
"By serving my community I hope to show others how to serve or become leaders of their own to continue to pass down ways of improving their community. By leading by example and by inspiring others to serve, a sense of community and common good arise. Only improving the community we live in."
Name: Yulianna Charris
School: Florida Memorial
Sport: Women’s Volleyball
Class: Junior
Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela
Major: Finance
Athletic Achievements: In Venezuela, Yulianna represented her state in the National Championships for four years, and was named MVP in three out of those four years. Yulianna has been recognized as Florida Memorial’s Freshman of the Year, and served as captain of the Florida Memorial volleyball team in her Sophomore year. In 2017, she was named the team’s Most Valuable Player, and was recognized as the Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Champions of Character Highlights: Serves as a leader on and off the court. She serves as a student tutor in the school of Business and provides peer-to-peer financial literacy training on campus and in the community as a Financial Ambassador through the Society of Financial Education and Professional Development
How do you go about living out the Champions of Character Five Core Values of Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Sportsmanship, & Servant Leadership?
There is a verse in the Bible that describes very well the significance of respect, "Do others as you would have them do to you." This is how I live this core value, I like to be treated with consideration, so I treat others in that way. I like when people are attentive, so I try to be attentive to others as well. In order to gain respect of others, you have to start by showing people respect. Responsibility is one key value that is important to apply in order to succeed. In school with assignments, and tests. Also in the court, I have a responsibility with my team to be the best version of myself, support them, be on time, work hard, and be a good teammate. Integrity, even when no one is watching me, or what I am doing, I make sure I am doing the right thing. Even when my professor is not watching me, I will not cheat. Even when my coach is not watching me, I am going to finish the drill the best I can.
Cooperating with my teammates, be fair at the games and while practicing too, respect other team's game and the officials. These are little things I do to apply the sportsmanship value.
Lastly, serve the common good, empowering my teammates, encouraging them to be better, to get better. Contribute with my coach and my team, and not only that, but being energetic and serving others with whatever I can do to help them become better.
Servant leadership is a key element of the Champions of Character Program. Why is servant leadership and community service important to you?
If everybody would take just a little bit of their own time to help or serve somebody in need for a common good everything would change drastically. We would be able to fix so many problems and change so many lives just by taking a little time to serve somebody in need.