EAST STROUDSBURG -- East Stroudsburg University Director of Athletics Dr. Gary R. Gray announced on Tuesday that ESU football student-athletes David Akinwande and Rece Bender will present in the August edition of Diversity Equity and Inclusion in College Athletics: A Call to Action speaker series. Akinwande and Bender will present on Zoom on Monday, August 30 at 7:00 p.m.
Along with being football student-athletes, Akinwande and Bender are also Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) officers at ESU, with David serving as the president, while Rece holds the role of vice president.
"It is a great pleasure to have the opportunity to speak in the Diversity Equity and Inclusion in College Athletics: A Call to Action speaker series," said Akinwande. "As a player on ESU's football team, I stand by the importance of learning the background of those other than my own while developing long-lasting relationships in the process."
Akinwande is a nursing major from Levittown. He helped administer COVI-19 vaccinations at nearby Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono. On the gridiron, he was named to the Football Gazette Super Region 3rd team as a fullback in 2019.
Bender, a sport management major from Lancaster, was named to the All-PSAC East 2nd Team as a return specialist in 2019. He ranked second on the team with 528 yards receiving and tied for the team lead with six receiving touchdowns. Along with serving as vice president on ESU's SAAC, he also represents ESU and the East division as the co-chair of PSAC SAAC. In this role, Bender is also a member of the PSAC Advisory Council, which is made up of athletic administrators, coaches, and other executive personnel.
"I am very blessed and honored to be selected to speak in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in College Athletics speaker series because we all encounter diversity, equity and inclusion in our everyday lives and are extremely important topics," said Bender. "Our football team locker room at ESU is a very diverse space and that is what makes it special: we are all family. I have 89 brothers that I see every day who will be lifelong friends from all walks of life."
Past presenters in the series include Delaware Valley men's basketball head coach Muhamadou Kaba '15 M'18, ESU swimming head coach Fan Yang, ESU acrobatics and tumbling head coach Miles Avery, ESU field hockey alumna Domineque Scott '08 M'09, and ESU women's volleyball head coach Tricia Melfy and coordinator of summer camps and conferences Kelsey Melfy.
"I'm really excited that we will be able to feature two of our student-athlete leaders in our August speaker series," said ESU Director of Athletics Dr. Gary R. Gray of the two newest presenters in the series. "David and Rece are not only leaders on our football team but also on our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and in our department overall. I am looking forward to their thoughts and discussion points related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in college athletics."
For more information on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in College Athletics: A Call to Action speaker series and to view past presentations, visit esuwarriors.com/DEI.
Past presenters in Diversity Equity and Inclusion in College Athletics: A Call to Action
March: Muhamadou Kaba
April: Fan Yang
May: Miles Avery
June: Domineque Scott
July: Tricia and Kelsey Melfy
