More 50 students participated in the activities, which included two seminar sessions, a guest speaker and lunch. The first session was an open panel forum in which four former college athletes, who now work at South Texas College, fielded questions from the student athletes. Panel participants included Paul Hernandez, dean of counseling and advising; Karey Barnes, ombudsperson; Willie Johnson, lead advisor; and Tyrone Marshall, student activities specialist. As these former collegiate athletes reminisced about their days as student athletes, their focus was on the nuances, pressures and concerns of having to maintain poise and leadership skills as a young adult in a college athletic program. Panel participants focused their message on the point that being a leader is not a one dimensional trait. It is a quality that is obtained through communication, learning and exhibiting professionalism.

The keynote address was given by Steve Schnall, scouting consultant for the San Diego Chargers and winner of an NFL Super Bowl Title in 1987 as an assistant coach with The New York Giants. He gave a fiery speech on the subject of personal leadership strategies. He impressed the crowd by being extremely familiar with the Valley sports scene and showed a passion that came across in his speech. His design for achieving success as a student leader coupled with his personal stories was one of the event's highlights.

The guest speaker himself showed his gratitude in being part of the initial "Captain of Captain's" Leadership symposium by saying, "STC has developed into a very unique institution and you all should be proud of the rapid progress everybody involved has made in such a relatively short period of time."

The symposium concluded with a presentation on the dangers of steroid abuse. Robert Montoya, an athletic trainer at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School, presented the side effects and the dangers of abusing steroids. He shared many eye opening facts and pictures. He explained that steroid use is becoming more and more prevalent among high school athletes and that there are no shortcuts to leadership and winning.

"We hope that students walked away with the message that the mind is the strongest tool you posses and that it's decisions that benefit the self in the long run that make for a great leader," added Ponce.

Former student athletes share thoughts and feedback about life as a college student athlete. Pictured from left are Karey Barnes, Paul Hernandez, Tyrone Marshall and Willie Johnson.

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