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Six HBCU student-athletes selected for
USOC Leadership Program
June 5, 2006
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United
States Olympic Committee has selected
32 minority student leaders from colleges and
institutions across the country, including
six from HBCUs, for the USOC’s
Finding Leaders Among Minorities Everywhere
(F.L.A.M.E.) program. The F.L.A.M.E. program
will be held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center
in Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 9-11, 2006.
and is presented by Tyson Foods, Inc., an
official sponsor of the United States Olympic
Team and official supplier to the U.S. Olympic
Training Centers.
For the first time, the program will focus
on educating and developing youth at the college
level, specifically, freshman and sophomore
student leaders. This new shift from mentoring
high school students as done in years past
is part of the program’s goal to provide
career opportunities for minorities within
the U.S. Olympic Movement.
“For more than a decade, the F.L.A.M.E.
program has offered an opportunity for high
school students to learn more about the Olympic
Movement and the Olympic Ideals,” said
USOC Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr. “By
shifting the focus of the program to college-age
students, our goal is to create a natural pathway
for talented young people to become involved
in the Olympic Movement either by the USOC’s
internship program or other career and volunteer
avenues.”
Participants in this year’s program
represent 30 colleges and universities and
hail from 20 states across the U.S. HBCUs represented
were Clark Atlanta University, Fisk University,
Fort Valley State University, Florida A&M University,
Morehouse College and North Carolina Central
University.
With the support of title sponsor, Tyson,
and associate sponsors Hilton Hotels Corporation
and Visa, F.L.A.M.E. will focus on mentoring
and grooming college students so that they
can apply the principles of the Olympic Ideals
and Values to all aspects of their lives.
Each of the 32 participants will travel to
Colorado Springs, Colo., headquarters of the
U.S. Olympic Movement and home to nearly 200
athletes in training. F.L.A.M.E. students will
live among the athletes in training by residing
in the dormitories and eating alongside U.S.
Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls.
“Through our partnership with the U.S.
Olympic Committee and F.L.A.M.E., we are able
to give well-deserving students this once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look
into what makes Olympians tick,” said
Bob Corscadden, Tyson’s senior vice president
and chief marketing officer. “Through
all of our community-oriented programs like
F.L.A.M.E., we’re committed to supporting
the goals and dreams of America’s future
leaders, wherever their paths may lead.”
2006 F.L.A.M.E. Program Itinerary:
• The program includes presentations
and one-on-one discussions with motivational
speakers, April Holmes (Paralympian, athletics)
and Derek Parra (three-time Olympian, speedskating),
the first Hispanic-American to win gold in
the Olympic Winter Games.
• Development workshops include a networking
skills seminar hosted by Adecco, the Official
Career Services Supplier of the U.S. Olympic
Team.
• Diversity training presented by the
University of Colorado (Colorado Springs) Diversity
Task Force, and a special college survival
session from Johnson & Wales University.
• 2005 World Champion and 2004 Olympian
Howard Bach (badminton) will conduct an interactive
session with the students to introduce them
to the sport of badminton.
2006 F.L.A.M.E. PARTICIPANTS – “F.L.A.M.E.
CLASS OF 2006”
Name, Age, University, Hometown
Darrell Ballinger, 21, Carthage College, Kenosha,
Wis.
Randall Barrett, 21, South Dakota State University,
Madison, S.D.
Gara Bell, 18, Campbell University, Weldon,
N.C.
Jessica Bloodsaw, 18, Dartmouth College, Tacoma,
Wash.
Travis Casillas, 20, Santa Monica College,
Los Angeles, Calif.
Melissa Chun, 19, University of California,
Berkeley, San Francisco, Calif.
Aaron Coleman, 18, Kalamazoo College, West
Bloomfield, Mich.
Markeisha Cassidy Dawson, 18, Clark Atlanta
University, Riverside, Calif.
Candido Diaz, 20, Springfield College, Southbridge,
Mass.
James Gordon, 21, Wisconsin Whitewater, Chicago,
Ill.
Nathaniel Harris, 20, Springfield College,
New Haven, Conn.
Janet Ho, 19, University of Northern Iowa,
Ankeny, Iowa
Brittny Humphrey, 19, Youngstown State University,
Youngstown, Ohio
Khabria Hundley, 18, University of Rhode Island,
Hamden, Conn.
Steven Jackson, 20, Fort Valley State University,
Warner Robins, Ga.
Charis Jones, 19, Drexel University, Clinton,
Md.
Jason Julien, 20, Florida
A&M University,
Hampton, Ga.
Tarik Kitson, 19, State University of New York,
Geneseo, N.Y.
Alexander Lakes, 19, Morehouse College, Atlanta,
Ga.
La'Dasha Lofton, 19, University of Louisiana
at Lafayette, New Iberia, La.
Mai Chong Lor, 21, University of Wisconsin
Oshkosh, Oshkosh, Wis.
Jessica Magley, 19, University of Rhode Island,
Bradenton, Fla.
Michelle Okumura, 19, Idaho State University,
Sandy, Utah
Reginald Oziogu, 20, North Carolina Central
University, Durham, N.C.
Stephanie Perez, 20, Regis University, Arvada,
Colo.
Julianna Pitts, 18, North Carolina State, Chapel
Hill, N.C.
Saara Rafiq, 18, Drexel University, Somerset,
N.J.
Jeshua Rahming, 18, Fisk University, Corona,
Calif.
Erika Ramirez, 21, University of Texas, Houston,
Texas
Oliver Rorer, 20, Augustana College, Bettendorf,
Iowa
Eric Michael Sales, 19, University of Notre
Dame, N. Hollywood, Calif.
Kristle Spellman, 19, University of North Carolina,
Charlotte, N.C.
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