A group of Cal student-athletes, coaches and administrators recently reached the summit.

Now, they are ready to take the rest of the Cal Athletics family with them.

A group of 51 members from different corners of Cal Athletics attended the Black Student-Athlete Summit in January, an annual event turned virtual this year because of COVID-19. Cal's athletic department has typically brought a contingent to the University of Texas for the in-person event.

"When you hear the word 'summit,' it's a height, an apex, a high experience," Cal Associate Athletic Director for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Dr. Ty-Ron Douglas said. "But you also have to go back down to the valley to the people. Summits are meant to be times of reflection. You see, you hear, you immerse yourself in it, and then you have to think of what does it look like for all the people in the valley that didn't get a chance to climb that mountain with you."

The Summit is a three-day gathering to openly examine and candidly discuss the numerous and complex issues surrounding the black student-athlete, including mental health, social activism and leadership, and living in the COVID-19 era. After immersing themselves in presentations and panels, the Cal contingent is now set on imparting what it learned on the rest of the Cal Athletics community. Student-athletes and staff are going back to their respective teams and departments to determine which archived presentations would serve the best benefit. A select number of attendees made a presentation at a meeting among all of the department's assistant coaches. Field Hockey's Brynn Zorilla spoke about her experience at Cal's most recent all-staff meeting of over 200 employees.

"One of my goals is to make sure our department is clear why these efforts need to be accelerated every day of the year," Douglas said. "In some regards, summits are great, but living in high places, living in a reflective place and having that perspective from the valley is just as important as the summit moments. These gatherings are meant to be times of reflection and engagement, and acceleration of the efforts needs to be happening every single day."

When the group has traveled to Austin in the past for the summit, they would convene at the end of each day for dinner and download what they had consumed. They did the same things this year on Zoom.

"There is so much power in speaking to your perspective and telling your story as you've seen it and as you've learned it," said Bobby Thompson, the interim director of operations for the Cameron Institute – Cal's new entity for student-athlete development. "What we wanted to do was find a way to touch base, to have an intentional place where somebody could unpack their experiences, ask questions, and actively listen. It was a space where people in our Cal Athletics community could connect as a diverse family. These sessions allowed us to deconstruct our Summit experiences, and strategize meaningful opportunities to engage our community around our learning outcomes."

Cal's delegation was made up of 25 student-athletes, eight coaches and 18 staff and administrators – ranging in age, profession and ethnicity. When the summit concluded, Thompson had each attendee complete a survey to reflect on the experience and think of ways it can help the department moving forward.

"Anytime you engage with something like this, it helps you be mindful and it helps you center on what is important," said Cal men's rowing assistant coach Sam Baum, who attended the summit. "It helps you [to reflect on] how to teach in these times, how to communicate with your athletes and understand different perspectives.

"How do you make this an authentic conversation, and a conversation that young people are going to be capable of engaging with? I think we are working at that and trying to chip away day by day and bit by bit."

One of the presentations at the summit was put on by leaders of BLAC – Black Lives After College. It's a group of former Cal student-athletes working to improve the experience of Black student-athletes at Cal. The presentation was put on by Lorenzo Alexander (football), Solomon Hughes (men's basketball) and Sunserae Smith (lacrosse).

"It was amazing that Cal alums presented," Douglas said. "I can't tell you how significant that is. They are vital leaders, and I think their engagement speaks volumes about the brilliance of our Black athletes from the past, and I also think it speaks well about our future."

Members of the Cal group didn't just interact with each other, but engaged with members of other university athletic departments, as well. It was part-networking, part sharing of ideas.

"I know some athletes from other universities and was able to debrief with them a little bit over text," Cal softball student-athlete Amani Bradley said. "It was just good to hear different perspectives. It's just really good to be able to talk to other people and hear their experiences, but also tell them my experiences."