Each year, high-achieving UGA athletes are inducted into the L.E.A.D. Academy. L.E.A.D. equips UGA’s most promising student-athletes with leadership development resources necessary to compete for top conference and national awards and postgraduate scholarships. The 2022 L.E.A.D. Academy features 71 athletes all navigating the early days of the NCAA’s NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) changes. As they each embark on their new leadership journey they will have ample opportunity to share their story—the story of being a student, an athlete, a leader, and more. Stories that will be shared with audiences here on campus and far beyond. And who better to serve as their navigator than our own expert storyteller Megan Ward.

Megan was invited by the UGA Athletic Association to be the keynote speaker for the 2022 L.E.A.D. Induction Ceremony. Held in Sanford Stadium’s beautiful West End Zone, Megan encouraged these incredible student-athletes to fearlessly craft their stories so that their time in the spotlight was dedicated to connecting with those standing in the shadows. As Megan does day in, day out in the classroom and with TEDxUGA presenters, she reminded these new inductees that stories are a catalyst for meaningful change and that harnessing the power of storytelling is an invaluable skill set for personal, professional, and academic growth. Megan, we can’t think of anyone more fitting to inspire these storytellers!