Speaker encourages students to 'empower yourself'

TIFFIN --- Three-time national champion and coach of the year—Jenny Levy—visited Heidelberg University to meet with and inspire students - she was also featured as the keynote speaker for the Patricia Adams Lecture Series (PALS) Thursday evening. Special guest Levy, who is entering her 29th season as head coach for the University of North Carolina's women's lacrosse team, delivered a motivational presentation about her journey of becoming the person she is today, titled: "Empowering Women by Changing the Game." Levy, who is one of only five head coaches to win three or more NCAA titles, said throughout her life she has constantly fought to change people's perspectives on the power that women hold. "Unfortunately society and culture perpetuates the barriers that prevent women from realizing their full potential, and that starts at a young age," Levy said. "I've experienced it in my career, coaching young women, and as a mother of three. "The first step of empowerment starts with you," Levy said. " Why? Because before you can empower others, you have to empower yourself. We have to first change the narrative in our own minds and start modeling championship behavior for ourselves. Seeing greatness in yourself is about changing the perceived limits." Levy is the only head coach in UNC women's lacrosse history and built the Tar Head lacrosse program from scratch. The Tar Heels were led to 13 appearances in the NCAA tournament semi-finals, tied for the most in NCAA history. Levy also previously played lacrosse at the University of Virginia from 1988-1992, and was an assistant field hockey and assistant women's lacrosse coach at Georgetown University from 1993-1994. "I not only cultivated my own confidence in my ability to speak, be bold and lead—I started to go beyond coaching the game of lacrosse and I began to think about and be curious about, how do I coach women to change their personal narrative and mentality, and embrace what I call a champion's journey?," Levy contemplated. "Learning to live and compete like a champion every day is not just for athletes, it's for anybody. It's a mentality, it's a way of thinking, it's a way of doing and it ultimately becomes a way of being." Change starts within yourself, Levy explained. Levy then left the audience with pieces of advice she gives to the young athletes she coaches: Relationships are parallel and are paramount to your success. Self-awareness is key, especially when it comes to identifying your own strengths and how to use them. Make sure you have a vision and lead yourself before you can lead others. Use intentional effort through preparation. Know that your daily choices support your priorities, and have the discipline to follow through and evaluate your progress. Refuse to give up even if you make mistakes. Strive for excellence, not perfection. Remember that confidence is earned. President of Heidelberg, Rob Huntington then moved on to thank Levy for her speech and recognize her with an appreciation plaque on behalf of Heidelberg. John Adams was also presented with a rare, special plaque to designate the late Pat Adams as an honorary member of the class of 1958, which was approved by the Board of Trustees at Heidelberg. The event was sponsored by Mercy Health Tiffin Hospital, National Machinery Foundation, Reineke Family Dealerships, Tiffin Aire and UIS Insurance and Investments. The PALS series, founded and funded by John and the late Patricia Adams, launched in 2010 and aims to present the voices of female leaders from a broad spectrum to help educate the individuals who cross paths with them. Additionally, the PALS program exposes Heidelberg students to women who have positively impacted their communities and careers.