‘Hopefully I can give back.’ Caitlin Clark talks leadership, service at Kentucky college
Excited students and fans from across the University of the Cumberlands campus — and beyond — came out in droves on Tuesday night to the school’s O. Wayne Rollins Center to hear from one of the biggest names in basketball.
Caitlin Clark, the top pick in the 2024 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, traveled here as part of the university’s celebrated Excellence in Leadership Series.
The Iowa native, who graduated from the University of Iowa as the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, regardless of gender or division, sat down with university president Larry Cockrum to discuss the roles that basketball, leadership and community involvement play in her life. Clark spoke to the highs and lows of her basketball career, her nonprofit organization, the Caitlin Clark Foundation, and the importance of “being where your feet are,” among other topics.
Clark is the latest heavy hitter in a long list of star-studded keynote speakers in Cumberlands’ leadership series, including Jon Dorenbos, Mel Robbins, Drew Brees, Laila Ali, Terry Bradshaw and Shaquille O’Neal.
Clark contextualized how leadership has affected her life through stories of success and adversity, and emphasized the importance of those who have made a difference in her life. Take now-retired head coach Lisa Bluder, for example, who led the Hawkeyes for more than two decades before calling it a career following the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, and successfully recruited the former top-five prospect in the class of 2020 to “stay home” despite a hard sell from Notre Dame legend Muffet McGraw.
The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year voiced her support for Bluder’s “fairly soon” induction to the Hall of Fame, and said she most admired Bluder’s inclusive leadership style.
“Every single person on our team,” Clark said. “Every single person that was involved in our program, mattered just as much as she did, just as much as I did as the starting point guard. She valued every single person just the same … everybody’s opinion was valued.”
Several UC students — from resident life team members to student-athletes — were given the opportunity to ask Clark questions about various aspects of her journey. Jackson Estes, chief financial officer of UC’s student government association and a senior biology student, asked Clark how she stays “focused and resilient” despite external pressures.
Clark acknowledged the expectations placed upon her to achieve, whether it be during her time at Iowa or now as a professional with the Fever. She said that she always tries to remember her love for whatever it is she’s doing, on or off the court, and that there is always a community of support waiting to encourage you to do your best.
“I love this game,” Clark said. “This is what I’ve always had fun doing since I’ve been a young girl. But also, there’s so many people that are here supporting you, whether it’s your teammates, whether it’s your coaches … those are the things that I rely on when it feels like there’s a lot of noise around you. It can get you through some hard times.”
Cockrum drew a comparison between Clark’s leadership and work with her foundation, using her platform for good, and the University of the Cumberlands’ campus mission to “develop leadership through service.”
The Caitlin Clark Foundation, per its mission statement, “is to uplift and improve the lives of youth and their communities through education, nutrition and sports — three pillars Caitlin believes were foundational in her success.”
“Those are three areas of my life that I felt I had great opportunities growing up,” Clark said. “And it’s also what a lot of people don’t have opportunities in, so hopefully I can give back my resources, my time, whatever it is, to help people experience some of those same things.”
TIME Magazine’s 2024 Athlete of the Year noted that, while, “Yeah, basketball is great,” it’s more meaningful to her to make an impact on people’s lives.
In January, Scholastic announced a collaboration with the Caitlin Clark Foundation “to create awareness and measurable impact of early-age reading access in under-resourced schools.” In honor of Clark’s birthday, Jan. 22, Scholastic donated 22,000 new books to the Caitlin Clark Foundation, which then distributed them to Iowa- and Indiana-based elementary and middle schools, children’s hospitals and other non-profit organizations in an effort to support youth literacy in areas Clark considers home.
Clark and her foundation are also working to install sport courts around the Des Moines, Iowa, community, where she is from, “for underprivileged areas that we’ve identified with the Des Moines public schools.” Clark said she hopes to not only continue that work in Iowa, but in the Indianapolis area, as well.
“Whether they’ve ever played basketball before,” Clark said. “Whether it’s a meal during the summertime that they can’t afford, whatever it is. I think that goes way further than stepping on the court. And I’m very lucky and fortunate that I get to do that as my career.”
Per the university, “Keynote speakers are invited to Cumberlands’ campus annually, offering impactful messages to Cumberlands students and the general community to instill integral leadership values. The Excellence in Leadership Series has hosted noteworthy leaders representing a variety of careers and life experiences over the years, providing a diverse array of valuable lessons and experiences.”
