April is National Poetry Month, so I thought I would start off this column with one of my favorite poems that I wrote back in college.

I’m kidding.

Instead, I’d rather talk about the two outstanding former CCAA student-athletes who will be wrapping up our CCAA Wednesday Afternoon Speaker Series this month. 

When I first came up with the idea of having a variety of speakers during the spring semester that focused on our conference values of excellence, leadership, integrity, diversity and community, I really had no idea how successful it would be. I was just trying to come up with something that could meet the needs of our student-athletes, coaches and staff as our large CCAA family worked their collective way through the challenges that have been handed to us by the pandemic.

So first, a big thank you to our speakers Jonathan Jones, Eric Kussin, Art Cox, Charlotte Clymer and Alonzo Bodden for being a part of something that has all the markings of a “new tradition” going forward.

But there’s no better way to wrap up the Wednesday Afternoon Speaker Series than with a couple of former CCAA student-athletes who have truly reached the apex of their profession.

Coming up on April 14 is former Chico State women’s basketball player and assistant coach, Alisha Valavanis. Alisha and her twin sister, Alexa, were dynamic shooting guards for the Wildcats who weren’t afraid to shoot from anywhere on the court. Alisha took that confidence with her into the business world and is now the CEO and general manager of the four-time WNBA champion (and current reigning champion) Seattle Storm and Force 10 Sports Management, LLC; a sports management firm that creates world-class sporting events in Seattle by providing operations, revenue generation, communications and marketing expertise. Her insight on what it takes to succeed as a woman in the sports world, and in business in general, is invaluable. [REGISTER HERE >>>]

The following Wednesday, April 21, we get to hear from former Cal State Dominguez Hills soccer standout, Kei Kamara. Kei was originally going to join us in March, but we had some technical difficulties connecting with him as he was in his home country of Sierra Leone helping children through his HeartShapedHands Foundation. Kei is one of the greatest scorers in Major League Soccer history and created his foundation to give back and provide hope to kids in Sierra Leone. His journey from Africa to Carson to the very top of the soccer world is an amazing story and one you won’t want to miss. [REGISTER HERE >>>]

So, mark those dates on your calendar now and make sure you register to be a part of these final presentations. Who knows, I might introduce both of them with one of my original poems!