TicketsCINCINNATI -- The University of Cincinnati athletics department, in partnership with the American Athletic Conference, hosted Lewis Johnson as the ONE TEAM spring speaker on Wednesday.
Johnson, a 1986 graduate and All-American for the Bearcats, presented to student-athletes on Project Global Citizen's Cultural Cohesion Code. The CC Code helps United States collegiate student-athletes crack the cultural code around social standards in a sports team context. More information about the cause can be found here.
Women's track and field senior Victoria Abunaw, who is the SAAC ONE TEAM Diversity and Inclusion Representative, was instrumental in bringing Johnson to campus. The speech was not only in-person for UC student-athletes, but also live-streamed to the rest of the AAC schools.
"In my role as a Diversity and Inclusion Representative, I was asked to bring on a dynamic speaker to speak to the entire conference," Abunaw said. "I immediately thought about Lewis Johnson, because he had spoken to the track team a year before about his training, the 'Cultural Cohesion Code.' I reached out to Lewis in the early fall and immediately started to put things together for this event. As an athletic community, we encounter so many different cultures and bringing all those experiences together can be such a life changing moment. When he spoke to our group for the first time, I was captivated by his words of wisdom. He emphasized that there is a misunderstanding of cross-cultural challenges within the athletic community but student-athletes can thrive off of these obstacles and progress as global citizens in their journey around the world.
"I chose him to speak to the student athletes of the American Conference because I believe that his code aligns with what student athletes should embody. First, you have respect, and then you add social cohesion and eventually the outcome will be employability."
The ONE TEAM Speaker Series is part of the CPAWS annual-required core, a curriculum that aims to enhance student-athlete leadership, career exploration, community engagement and personal development.
Johnson, a 1986 graduate and All-American for the Bearcats, presented to student-athletes on Project Global Citizen's Cultural Cohesion Code. The CC Code helps United States collegiate student-athletes crack the cultural code around social standards in a sports team context. More information about the cause can be found here.
Women's track and field senior Victoria Abunaw, who is the SAAC ONE TEAM Diversity and Inclusion Representative, was instrumental in bringing Johnson to campus. The speech was not only in-person for UC student-athletes, but also live-streamed to the rest of the AAC schools.
"In my role as a Diversity and Inclusion Representative, I was asked to bring on a dynamic speaker to speak to the entire conference," Abunaw said. "I immediately thought about Lewis Johnson, because he had spoken to the track team a year before about his training, the 'Cultural Cohesion Code.' I reached out to Lewis in the early fall and immediately started to put things together for this event. As an athletic community, we encounter so many different cultures and bringing all those experiences together can be such a life changing moment. When he spoke to our group for the first time, I was captivated by his words of wisdom. He emphasized that there is a misunderstanding of cross-cultural challenges within the athletic community but student-athletes can thrive off of these obstacles and progress as global citizens in their journey around the world.
"I chose him to speak to the student athletes of the American Conference because I believe that his code aligns with what student athletes should embody. First, you have respect, and then you add social cohesion and eventually the outcome will be employability."
The ONE TEAM Speaker Series is part of the CPAWS annual-required core, a curriculum that aims to enhance student-athlete leadership, career exploration, community engagement and personal development.