U.S. Olympic Committee celebrates 22nd anniversary of FLAME Program

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic Committee today announced the 29 student leaders of color from colleges and universities across the country who were selected to participate in the 22nd annual FLAME (Finding Leaders Among Minorities Everywhere) Program. The 2015 college program will be held May 27-June 3 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

FLAME is designed to inspire undergraduate and graduate students of color to pursue careers within the Olympic and Paralympic movements. Those chosen to participate have already demonstrated a pursuit of excellence within their own communities and will have the opportunity to further their personal and professional growth by connecting with U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes, USOC and National Governing Body leaders, and others who have achieved success.

The program provides students with an in-depth look at the Olympic and Paralympic movements and personal exploration of the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. The program also offers a pathway for talented youth to become further involved in the Olympic and Paralympic movements, either through the USOC’s internship program, or other sports-related career and volunteer opportunities.

Participants in this year’s program represent 15 states across the nation. During the eight-day program, FLAME participants will reside at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and spend time with U.S. Olympians, Paralympians and hopefuls. The program will include professional development workshops, leadership seminars and networking sessions.

The 2015 speaker program is highlighted by several U.S. Olympians and Paralympians, including two-time Olympic medalist Elana Meyers Taylor (bobsled; 2010, 2014); five-time Olympic medalist Teresa Edwards (basketball; 1984,1988, 1992, 1996, 2000); three-time Olympian Willie Banks (track and field; 1980, 1984, 1988); Paralympian Jennifer Chew (wheelchair basketball; 2012); John Register, U.S. Paralympics associate director of community and military programs and Paralympic silver medalist (track and field, 2000); and Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, USOC chief of organizational excellence and Olympic gold medalist (track and field, 1984). Additional speakers include Wade Davis, former NFL player and executive director of the You Can Play Project; Jorge Quezada, chief diversity officer of Kraft Foods Group; Lindsey Kagawa Colas, vice president of Olympic Action Sports; and several leaders from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic family.

The program also will feature a keynote address from Sheila C. Johnson, co-founder of BET, CEO of Salamander Hotels and Resorts, and vice chairman and owner of Monumental Sports and Entertainment as the USOC FLAME Invited Speaker, supported by Drs. Tej and Simran Singh.

Additional activities will include Olympic and Paralympic sport demonstrations, a Colorado Rapids game and tour of DICK’s Sporting Goods Park, a golf workshop organized by the PGA of America and a hike through Garden of the Gods.

FLAME Class of 2015

Agustin Alejandro Gonzales - Texas Tech University, Houston, Texas

Alec Gabriel Contag Keck - Graduate Institute, McLean, Virginia

Ashley Franklin - Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana

Bianca Jones - University of Colorado Boulder, Aurora, Colorado

Bryan Munoz - Northeastern University, Teaneck, New Jersey

Christian Tovar-Vargas - Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas

Danielle Heceta McArdle - University of Central Florida, Wheeling, West Virginia

Denisha Robinson - Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Elisa Drummond - Temple University, Marlboro, Maryland

Elvin Jarrod James - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Goldsboro, North Carolina

Francesca Turner - Georgia State University, Lithonia, Georgia

Gabrielle Pringle - University of Montevallo, Brent, Alabama

Gervon Dwayne Williams - Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

Jasmine Yvonne Wilkins - Nova Southeastern University, Miami, Florida

Jose Garcia - University of Texas of the Permian Basin, Dallas, Texas

Jose Luis Munoz, Jr. - University of Kansas, Rio Rico, Arizona

Julian Turner - Trinity University, Katy, Texas

Katherine Gennelle Chatman - The University of Alabama, Orlando, Florida

Kathryn Mary LaRosa - Virginia Commonwealth University, Culpeper, Virginia

Laurelle Day Holley - Drexel University, Media, Pennsylvania

Mario Flores - Texas Tech University, Houston, Texas

Meghan Lee-Anne Anelamailanimai - Everett University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Tatum, Texas

Monet Samone Bland - Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts

Rishawn Marshall - Georgia State University, Queens, New York

Samantha Danielle Garcia - University of Denver, Thornton, Colorado

Summer Roberson - Rice University, Houston, Texas

Toddrick LeSean Gotcher - Texas Tech University, Garland, Texas

Wura Olusekun - University of Connecticut, Revere, Massachusetts

Xiaohan Wen - University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Beijing, China

For more information, please contact:

communications@usoc.org

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