WASHINGTON — The Atlantic 10 Conference continues its partnership with RISE today with the latest installment of the “Critical Conversations” series, hosted over Zoom on Wednesday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

RISE is a national nonprofit that educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice, and improve race relations. Through partnerships and programs, they inspire leaders in sports to create positive change on matters of race and equality.

Wednesday’s event is titled “Creating Impact in Your Communities.” The session features former Atlantic 10 student-athletes who have gone on to found and lead their own nonprofit organizations. These individuals will share their personal journeys, challenges, and strategies for creating sustainable and meaningful changes and relationships within our communities.

Meg Hawkins, a George Mason alumnus and former women’s soccer player, began the nonprofit Making Everything Good (MEG) alongside her husband in 2018. Through MEG, she has provided transportation to first responders and veterans in need of inpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment, both domestic international. The organization has fundraised many important projects in the community, impacting a multitude of areas.

Journey Amundson, a graduate of Saint Louis and former track & field student-athlete, was announced last week as a national Top 30 honoree for the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Amundson headed the creation of Top Tier Lesson, an organization scaling mentorship and NIL opportunities for more than 400 student-athletes nationwide.

Both Hawkins and Amundson will headline Wednesday’s panel, moderated by RISE Education & Inclusion Expert Collin D. Williams Jr.

The RISIE discussion is open to ALL students (current and former), student-athletes (current and former), faculty, staff & administrators. All 14 member institutions have been invited to participate in the event.

You can join the seminar on Wednesday evening by clicking here.