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Rising sophomore linebacker Malik Jefferson is quickly becoming a leader both on and off the field for the Texas Longhorns. On Wednesday, Jefferson spoke to Austin AISD athletes as a part of UT's Center for Sports Leadership & Innovation (CSLi), which aims to "cultivates the character development, leadership skills and long-term welfare of athletes and coaches."
A big thanks to @Official_MalikJ for speaking to @AISDAthletics at #CaptainsAcademy2016 pic.twitter.com/GPPOpBl3MT
— UT_CSLi (@UT_CSLi) February 17, 2016
"2 types of leader: Servant & Vocal. Best advice: standout on & off field" - @Official_MalikJ #CaptainsAcademy2016 pic.twitter.com/TQ2oUWFqZK
— UT_CSLi (@UT_CSLi) February 17, 2016
"Dedication is sacrifice." @Official_MalikJ takes 15 minutes of Q&A from #CaptainsAcademy2016 pic.twitter.com/ai1uJa6Eqy
— UT_CSLi (@UT_CSLi) February 17, 2016
You can watch the the full 15-minute Q&A here, but the main points were about leadership and standing out both on and off the field. Jefferson gives a lot of credit to his parents, who would not allow him to play sports if he brought home grades below a B. He prefers to lead by example, says it's important to be yourself and says he picked the University of Texas because of its location and strong academics.
CSLi launched on Dec.15, 2014, and according to its website represents the University's commitment to live up to its mission statement: To Transform Lives for the Benefit of Society. The program aims to cultivate leadership and character reform among student-athletes across the country.
Jefferson spoke at CSLI's Captains Academy, a leadership training program for high school sports captains in partnership with the Austin Independent School District. The program spans two training session for captains of varsity sports at all 12 Austin high schools. The sports include football, baseball, softball, volleyball, boys and girls basketball and boys and girls soccer.