Lake Erie College students selected for Connecting Cleveland Conference

Two Lake Erie College students were selected to participate in the Connecting Cleveland Conference during the women's NCAA tournament. 

Connecting Cleveland presented by AT&T, chooses 200 college-aged students through an application process. Those students get to meet with industry leaders and participate in panel discussions. 

Richella Spielvogel and Jessica Gielink say their professor, Amanda Curtis, encouraged them to apply. "She really encouraged all of us to apply," says Spielvogel, "I was excited to get picked."

"We learned a lot about leadership, never giving up no matter how many times you get knocked down," says Spielvogel, "We saw industry leaders, like the Vice President of the NCAA, talk about how they got where they are today." 

Gielink says her favorite keynote speaker was ESPN multi-media journalist Arielle Chambers. "When people would ask her questions, she would answer very honestly... Whenever you hear people overcoming stuff, they talk about how they did it, but she talked about who helped her along the way and how you need to know people." 

Gielink is a high school student but takes classes at Lake Erie College full-time. She plans to attend college next year and wants to work in sports after graduation. Spielvogel is graduating with a sports management major and a minor in marketing and business administration. She will return to Lake Erie College for her master's next year.