PELLA — A pair of Central College student-athletes attended the 2025 Student-Athlete Leadership Forum hosted by the NCAA leadership development in November.

Dutch women's golfer Mickey Martens (junior, Villa Park, Ill., Willowbrook HS) and men's soccer player Grant Fletcher (sophomore, Norwalk) were among the 184 student-athletes in Dallas, Texas for the forum. The student athletes were joined by nine coaches and 52 administrators from across all divisions of the NCAA.

The four-day event aims to provide learners with the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of their core values, develop emotional intelligence, embrace vulnerability, grow their personal network and develop leadership skills.

"It was a great opportunity to meet many student athletes who all wanted to grow as leaders which created an exciting and welcoming environment," Martens said. "One topic we discussed over my time was the idea that as leaders hard will never get easy. There isn't an easy road to take to accomplish our goals, but we learn how to adapt and grow to make the hard easier. It was a great opportunity, and I have walked away with new leadership skills that I can use on my team as well as my life after Central." 

This year's program theme, "Adjust Your Sails," aimed to equip student-athletes with leadership skills and empower them to take on greater responsibilities and apply the lessons learned when they are on campus and out in the world.
           
"It was an incredibly meaningful and transformative experience," Fletcher said. "The program offered a comprehensive exploration of effective leadership, personal accountability, and the role of student-athletes as influential members of their communities. Several themes and messages resonated deeply with me, especially the idea that 'life doesn't get easier; you just learn to handle the hard better.' This reminder challenged me to approach adversity with resilience rather than avoidance in both academic and athletic settings."