Haleigh Cephus ’26 invites the Elon campus community and community members to gather on campus for a day of discussions focused on identity development, mental wellness and life beyond sport performance.
Led by human service studies major Haleigh Cephus ’26, Elon University will host the Beyond the Athlete conference in McKinnon Hall on Saturday, April 25, to engage in student wellbeing, belonging and community.
The conference, themed “The Power of Story, Mental Health and Representation in Sport,” begins at 10 a.m. and is open to all faculty, staff, students and community members. The conference may be of particular interest to student athletes and students majoring in human service studies, education, psychology, communications and public health.
The conference combines empathy, collaboration, critical reflection, storytelling, advocacy and networking to strengthen mental health for African American or Black identifying individuals and ally community members. The goal of the conference is to highlight wellness, belonging and access to support while elevating the experiences of Black athletes and the communities and identities they represent. The conference sessions will share why mental health matters and connect participants with tools, relationships and resources to encourage healing, growth and success beyond performance.
Participants can take part in breakout sessions, athlete and professional fire chats, gallery walks, community networking, keynote conversations, and workshops.
Featured speakers include NFL veteran and mental health advocate Marcus Smith II, community leader Lorenza Wilkins, Minority Women in Sports founder Andrea Durham, Selfly Enterpirise founder and therapist Adriana Londoño and founder of Epiphany-Hill Enterprises Amber Hill.
“This conference is personal to me,” Cephus said. “As a former track and field athlete, I know what it feels like to constantly chase being better and still feel like it is not enough. There were moments where I needed support and reassurance, and I did not always have that. The conference is me creating the space I wish existed for myself and for others, a space where people feel seen, heard and valued beyond what they produce.”
The event provides conversation and practical education for participants to leave not only feeling understood but also equipped. It aims to reduce mental health stigma in athletic spaces, encourage identity development beyond performance, connect students with professionals and mentors, and introduce healthy coping and communication strategies.
The conference is centered in Cephus’s undergraduate research examining how racialized expectations influence the mental health experiences of Black female collegiate athletes.
“This research showed me that mental health in athletes cannot be understood without also understanding identity, race and the environments athletes are navigating,” Cephus said.
Through interviews and demographic questionnaires with current and former collegiate athletes, she explored how these athletes experience pressure not just to perform but to represent strength, resilience and success without leaving room for vulnerability.
“What I found is that many of these expectations become internalized, meaning athletes begin to measure their worth by how well they meet these narratives, even when it comes at the expense of their wellbeing,” Cephus said. “The conference translates this research into practice through guided conversations, workshops and mentorship opportunities.”
Cephus wanted to do more beyond a research paper and created the conference for people to experience, engage with and grow from creating environments where athletes and students feel supported as whole people.
She hopes people walk away from the conference feeling seen and more connected to themselves and others.
“I want participants to understand that their worth is not defined by their performance, their tasks or what they produce,” Cephus said. “I also want them to leave with tools, language and support that they can carry with them beyond the conference.”
Register for the conference here.
Cephus is a human services studies major from Hoover, Alabama. The conference is hosted by the Poverty and Social Justice Program and sponsored by the Student Government Association.