SUWANEE, Ga. -- In recognition of Black History month, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference reached out to staff members within the league to allow them to share their experiences and thoughts. This week, the conference office caught up with Leslie Bennett of the University of St. Thomas, who is in her first year as Senior Woman Administrator and her eighth as Head Athletic Trainer within the athletic department. Bennett shared the impact she has had on the Celt culture.
"I am Director of Sports Medicine Director at UST. In addition, I recently stepped into the role of Senior Women's Administrator. My duties in Athletic Training help me to serve the health and overall wellness of our student-athletes. With the addition of my SWA duties I now serve our students on a larger scale that encompasses our UST community outside of just athletics. With my role already lending itself to daily interaction, I can take their concerns and ideas straight to leadership and become a conduit for change and building trust between administration and students.," said Bennett.
When asked to speak on some of the challenges she has come across, Bennett mentioned how maintaining a work-life balance is the biggest obstacle to overcome.
"The struggles I endure may be the same as many athletic trainers, but amongst the top is finding time: time to give each athlete that attention and care while performing administrative duties of the athletic training room. I am privileged to have two assistants and serve as a preceptor to the UH Master of Athletic Training program. However, the hours being on the road and outside the office with many of our sports taking place of campus can leave little time to perform certain duties without taking the work home. I strive to able to maintain a balance and separation of work and home, but there are many days and nights where that can be blurred. However, I am reminded that this profession, as with most healthcare, is done with a servant heart. I enjoy interacting with my athletes and watching them win on and off the playing field, seeing our battles won in the training room translate to wins in their sport. I also make sure that when I can I take my PTO and unwind. The beach is my happy place."
"Another battle I face as a SWA and Direc. of Sports Medicine is making sure I know the right people on and off campus in order to connect our students with the right personnel. I want to find time to meet more of our professors/faculty who students interact with so we can foster a positive image and relationship between students and UST. I understand it is a lot for them to miss class, find their voice so they can speak to faculty and peers for help, and seek resources for problems both academic and personal."
When asked what was the most important message she strives to send to the Celt community she expressed this.
"I want our faculty to know how invested we are in our student-athletes success which starts in the classroom. In addition, I connect our student-athletes with our hospital system, helping find the right physicians, PTs, and staff that understand the schedule and injuries or our population and can work with them to get back on the field safely.," said Bennett.
Lastly, Bennett emphasized how much pride she has in her current role and her gratitude for the opportunity to impact the community.
"Being at UST has been one of the best places for me to grow as a professional in administration and as a manager of our health care team. I am proud to serve in a leadership position and allow black and minority athletes a visual presence and support in administration. My goal is always to allow them an avenue to voice their experiences and injuries, but also to advocate on their behalf and expand their voice on this campus. My role with our student- athletes, hospital system, and UST faculty allows for application of growth and understanding on a multi-level system which is huge as an athletic trainer and clinician. I also love serving as a preceptor guiding future minority leaders into the sports medicine field."
