Summer with the Sooners: Nicole Mendes

Oklahoma softball rising junior Nicole Mendes spent her summer representing Sooner student-athletes as a member of conference and national Student-Athlete Advisory Committees.

Mendes served as the Big 12's delegate at the NCAA Division I SAAC in mid-July as one of 32 DI student-athletes in the nation selected to the committee.

She then joined track and cross country runner Heath Warren as OU's representatives at the Big 12 SAAC.

SoonerSports.com caught up with Mendes to talk about her summer serving as an advocate for student-athletes.

On getting involved with SAAC:
I got invited to a meeting by Kelsey Arnold and I took the position of a softball representative my freshman year, and since then it's been great!

On her role as the Big 12 delegate at the NCAA SAAC Conference:
This is a completely new position for me as I am now representing the Big 12 Conference on a national level. We went over new legislation and talked about some initiatives that we would like to start seeing on the conference and campus level, such as mental health awareness, career development and others.

On the Big 12 SAAC Conference:
At the Big 12 Conference meeting I relayed everything the National SAAC discussed and we had several speakers come in as well. I was able to make connections with some really great people in the business world and at different colleges. We also went over legislation and took votes on new rules that are trying to be passed for NCAA.

On why she got involved with SAAC:
Because SAAC gives student-athletes a voice at the campus, conference, and national level. But, it's more than voting on rules, it's about making my and my fellow student-athletes' experiences as best as it can be.

On what she took away from the experience:
I have gained such a valuable insight into what the “real-world” is like and gotten advice from some very successful people. I have gotten the opportunity to create community events and give back. Lastly, I have been able to walk away from my experience this summer with gaining a better idea of what student-athletes want and how to better voice their opinion to people who have a hand in making that difference.

On her role with SAAC moving forward:
This year I will be the president of SAAC (known as SAIL – Student-Athlete Innovative Leaders – at OU) here on campus, and I will continue to serve as the direct line from the Big 12 conference to the National DI Conference and vice versa. There are some really cool things being planned for the campus SAIL and it is going to be a fun next few years.