Photo by: Jeremy Enlow
Leadership Profile: Football’s Egbo named to ACU’s Diversity Council
7/13/2020 11:00:00 AM | Football
ABILENE - If you don't know Abilene Christian junior Anthony Egbo by now, then consider this to be an informal introduction to a social guy who's admittedly not big on social media.
The Richmond, Texas native attends class five days a week, plays football on Saturdays, and in between he can be found participating in service events throughout campus and surrounding communities.
These activities give him energy, wisdom and strength.
ASA, BSU, ISA, LYNAY and SAAC are among the on-campus organizations with which he's associated, while younger Abilenians know him from telling Bible stories through groups such as The World's Backyard and Reach.
Egbo recently accepted an invitation earlier this month to join yet another group; one whose goal is to foster a more racially and culturally supportive and diverse environment at ACU. Starting August 3 Egbo will be one of five students serving on the university's first-ever Diversity Council, which will be co-chaired by ACU President Dr. Phil Schubert and ACU's chief diversity officer Dr. Stephanie Hamm.
The council will be composed of 13 members total.
ACUSports.com caught up with Egbo by phone earlier last week to discuss his appointment to the council and the challenges of work-life balance, while briefly touching on COVID-19 (wears a mask everywhere he goes) and football preparations (has worked out more over the last four months than ever before).
The highlights of our conversation are below.
Q: How did you go about being named to the diversity council?
A: "It's a crazy story. It fell in my lap. I was already planning on going to the (June 8) unity conference at ACU's amphitheater when I got a call from (former football teammate) Tryce Prince, who was doing some work for (event organizer) Dr. Jerry Taylor. He asked if I could volunteer and help out a little bit, and I said of course.
"Two days before, I sent an email to President Schubert after watching and listening to his video about addressing the further tension that's been going on across the country. The email was me voicing my support of him. I said that I appreciate him and I know how much courage it takes for him to admit that he could have done better and would go back in and address these issues further. I felt the need to tell him all of that.
"While I was up there helping Tryce and Dr. Taylor set up, I saw Dr. Schubert and asked if he received my email. He said, 'yes, I read everything and it means a lot to me more than you'll know.'
"The whole football coaching staff also was at the conference, and Dr. Schubert talked to Coach (Adam) Dorrel, who said I'm a great leader on the team. I'm just happy President Schubert got the email and it really encouraged me. That's all I wanted.
"After the conference, I talked to Coach Dorrel to see what he thought. He thought it was great, and noted how much he learned. He also talked to Schubert about me, and was asked about who he'd nominate among the student-athletes for the diversity council. Coach asked me if I would mind being nominated and a week later I received a formal invitation from President Schubert."
Q: What part of President Schubert's message encouraged you to send him an email?
A: "I think for me, it was his vulnerability that really impressed me. Him being the president of the university -- and I know from my own experience and having family members in leadership positions within different organizations -- how tough it can be. Him being vulnerable touched me because he didn't have to be.
"When he said, 'the reason I didn't say the phrase Black Lives Matter the first time is because in part I didn't know what it meant,' that just hit me as straight-up vulnerable. For someone to say that in a position of leadership takes a lot of courage. That really struck me because I felt like, wow, he's really putting himself out there.
"He's learned more and has had discussions with different people, and now he comfortably says Black Lives Matter. He can make that statement in good consciousness. He knows what it means and entails, and that's what he believes."
Q: Did you take part in any Black Lives Matter marches this spring?
A: "I didn't participate physically in any march per my mother's wishes. We live in Houston, and when I was there it was really hot and still some violence going on. My mom really pleaded with us not to go.
"With that said, I've taken different approaches and used my platform to have one-on-one conversations as I don't consider myself to be a big social media guy. This is where I felt I could fit in to address the problems and be part of the change. So from the middle of May to early June I was having really tough personal conversations with people around me and was trying to shed light on some things that needed to be exposed.
"I wanted to be someone they could come talk to about things they maybe couldn't with other people, including their own families or their own circle of friends. I went about having these talks with the hope that they could share the knowledge while being helped in their walk. I want them to be agents of change within their spheres of influence.
"My mom (Stacy Egbo) had me on one of her Instagram Live videos, where I spoke about scriptures that I felt pertained to these times. A lot of people viewed it and that was one of the bigger instances where I used my platform.
"Again, I couldn't participate physically in the marches and demonstrations so I took it upon myself to use my personal platform to sow seeds and build up those around me."
Q: You were quoted in The Optimist as having said, "(the diversity council) has the propensity to better ACU for generations to come," so what do you see as the first steps the council should take?
A: "I don't know what the first steps should be, but one thing I want to make sure happens is that the plans we make lead to unification and don't create more separation or tension. We're going to try and make campus more inclusive and have it feel that it's the best place for everybody."
Q: How well do you know the other council members?
A: "I have a very good relationship with Dr. Ryan Bowman. He's been a mentor for me since I came to ACU in 2018. I also know Elizabeth Asaoluh, who is president of the African Students' Association (ASA), an organization I've been closely associated with since coming to school, and I'm friends with Alyah Edwards, president of the Black Student Union (BSU).
"These are the three people I'm most well acquainted with. The others I don't know on a personal level, but I'm excited to meet and create relationships with them."
Q: How many on-campus groups are you involved in outside football?
A: "I'm in LYNAY (Love Your Neighbor As Yourself). I perform community service through World's Backyard Abilene and Reach, these are church outreach programs in which we go to low-income areas and do bible lessons and interact with kids for an hour or so each week.
"I'm also part of the football diversity and leadership councils, SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) and the ASA. I have associations with the BSU and International Students Association (ISA) too, however, my official membership with the BSU won't begin until the fall."
Q: With involvement in so many groups, how do you maintain that tricky balance between serving, studying and taking care of self for football?
A: "I finished my first semester with a 4.0 and thought I had the formula, and then came the fall of 2019 and the first few months of spring 2020 and I kind of got slapped in the face. So, I've not figured out the formula.
"But what gives me life and the urge to keep going is being plugged into all those groups. Me being part of LYNAY, World's Backyard and Reach and doing all these different things they keep me going. I feel it's a win win … because none of it is draining me. It gives me strength connecting with different people from different backgrounds and different ways of life, and that's something I've always enjoyed.
"I didn't want to be just a football player, which was one of my goals coming to ACU. I didn't want this experience to be BOOM and gone in four years, where I played football and graduated. I wanted to plug into the community, make change, and have people know me, people that don't look like me, act like me, or come from where I come from. I've purposely never had a roommate that's been a teammate, because I wanted to branch out and meet different people. My last two roommates have been two guys I still keep in contact with until this day.
"Football is something I obviously love to play, so (life) can be extremely hectic at times and sometimes I don't know how to keep going. Sometimes I'm like I have to back off this or that, and so I don't commit myself to as many things as I would want. That's how I get the balance. If there is a formula it's knowing when to back off and recharge and knowing when to continue to put my foot on the gas. I'm trying to get that balance better at that every semester but I've not conquered it yet."
The Richmond, Texas native attends class five days a week, plays football on Saturdays, and in between he can be found participating in service events throughout campus and surrounding communities.
These activities give him energy, wisdom and strength.
ASA, BSU, ISA, LYNAY and SAAC are among the on-campus organizations with which he's associated, while younger Abilenians know him from telling Bible stories through groups such as The World's Backyard and Reach.
Egbo recently accepted an invitation earlier this month to join yet another group; one whose goal is to foster a more racially and culturally supportive and diverse environment at ACU. Starting August 3 Egbo will be one of five students serving on the university's first-ever Diversity Council, which will be co-chaired by ACU President Dr. Phil Schubert and ACU's chief diversity officer Dr. Stephanie Hamm.
The council will be composed of 13 members total.
ACUSports.com caught up with Egbo by phone earlier last week to discuss his appointment to the council and the challenges of work-life balance, while briefly touching on COVID-19 (wears a mask everywhere he goes) and football preparations (has worked out more over the last four months than ever before).
The highlights of our conversation are below.
Q: How did you go about being named to the diversity council?
A: "It's a crazy story. It fell in my lap. I was already planning on going to the (June 8) unity conference at ACU's amphitheater when I got a call from (former football teammate) Tryce Prince, who was doing some work for (event organizer) Dr. Jerry Taylor. He asked if I could volunteer and help out a little bit, and I said of course.
"Two days before, I sent an email to President Schubert after watching and listening to his video about addressing the further tension that's been going on across the country. The email was me voicing my support of him. I said that I appreciate him and I know how much courage it takes for him to admit that he could have done better and would go back in and address these issues further. I felt the need to tell him all of that.
"While I was up there helping Tryce and Dr. Taylor set up, I saw Dr. Schubert and asked if he received my email. He said, 'yes, I read everything and it means a lot to me more than you'll know.'
"The whole football coaching staff also was at the conference, and Dr. Schubert talked to Coach (Adam) Dorrel, who said I'm a great leader on the team. I'm just happy President Schubert got the email and it really encouraged me. That's all I wanted.
"After the conference, I talked to Coach Dorrel to see what he thought. He thought it was great, and noted how much he learned. He also talked to Schubert about me, and was asked about who he'd nominate among the student-athletes for the diversity council. Coach asked me if I would mind being nominated and a week later I received a formal invitation from President Schubert."
Q: What part of President Schubert's message encouraged you to send him an email?
A: "I think for me, it was his vulnerability that really impressed me. Him being the president of the university -- and I know from my own experience and having family members in leadership positions within different organizations -- how tough it can be. Him being vulnerable touched me because he didn't have to be.
"When he said, 'the reason I didn't say the phrase Black Lives Matter the first time is because in part I didn't know what it meant,' that just hit me as straight-up vulnerable. For someone to say that in a position of leadership takes a lot of courage. That really struck me because I felt like, wow, he's really putting himself out there.
"He's learned more and has had discussions with different people, and now he comfortably says Black Lives Matter. He can make that statement in good consciousness. He knows what it means and entails, and that's what he believes."
Q: Did you take part in any Black Lives Matter marches this spring?
A: "I didn't participate physically in any march per my mother's wishes. We live in Houston, and when I was there it was really hot and still some violence going on. My mom really pleaded with us not to go.
"With that said, I've taken different approaches and used my platform to have one-on-one conversations as I don't consider myself to be a big social media guy. This is where I felt I could fit in to address the problems and be part of the change. So from the middle of May to early June I was having really tough personal conversations with people around me and was trying to shed light on some things that needed to be exposed.
"I wanted to be someone they could come talk to about things they maybe couldn't with other people, including their own families or their own circle of friends. I went about having these talks with the hope that they could share the knowledge while being helped in their walk. I want them to be agents of change within their spheres of influence.
"My mom (Stacy Egbo) had me on one of her Instagram Live videos, where I spoke about scriptures that I felt pertained to these times. A lot of people viewed it and that was one of the bigger instances where I used my platform.
"Again, I couldn't participate physically in the marches and demonstrations so I took it upon myself to use my personal platform to sow seeds and build up those around me."
Q: You were quoted in The Optimist as having said, "(the diversity council) has the propensity to better ACU for generations to come," so what do you see as the first steps the council should take?
A: "I don't know what the first steps should be, but one thing I want to make sure happens is that the plans we make lead to unification and don't create more separation or tension. We're going to try and make campus more inclusive and have it feel that it's the best place for everybody."
Q: How well do you know the other council members?
A: "I have a very good relationship with Dr. Ryan Bowman. He's been a mentor for me since I came to ACU in 2018. I also know Elizabeth Asaoluh, who is president of the African Students' Association (ASA), an organization I've been closely associated with since coming to school, and I'm friends with Alyah Edwards, president of the Black Student Union (BSU).
"These are the three people I'm most well acquainted with. The others I don't know on a personal level, but I'm excited to meet and create relationships with them."
Q: How many on-campus groups are you involved in outside football?
A: "I'm in LYNAY (Love Your Neighbor As Yourself). I perform community service through World's Backyard Abilene and Reach, these are church outreach programs in which we go to low-income areas and do bible lessons and interact with kids for an hour or so each week.
"I'm also part of the football diversity and leadership councils, SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) and the ASA. I have associations with the BSU and International Students Association (ISA) too, however, my official membership with the BSU won't begin until the fall."
Q: With involvement in so many groups, how do you maintain that tricky balance between serving, studying and taking care of self for football?
A: "I finished my first semester with a 4.0 and thought I had the formula, and then came the fall of 2019 and the first few months of spring 2020 and I kind of got slapped in the face. So, I've not figured out the formula.
"But what gives me life and the urge to keep going is being plugged into all those groups. Me being part of LYNAY, World's Backyard and Reach and doing all these different things they keep me going. I feel it's a win win … because none of it is draining me. It gives me strength connecting with different people from different backgrounds and different ways of life, and that's something I've always enjoyed.
"I didn't want to be just a football player, which was one of my goals coming to ACU. I didn't want this experience to be BOOM and gone in four years, where I played football and graduated. I wanted to plug into the community, make change, and have people know me, people that don't look like me, act like me, or come from where I come from. I've purposely never had a roommate that's been a teammate, because I wanted to branch out and meet different people. My last two roommates have been two guys I still keep in contact with until this day.
"Football is something I obviously love to play, so (life) can be extremely hectic at times and sometimes I don't know how to keep going. Sometimes I'm like I have to back off this or that, and so I don't commit myself to as many things as I would want. That's how I get the balance. If there is a formula it's knowing when to back off and recharge and knowing when to continue to put my foot on the gas. I'm trying to get that balance better at that every semester but I've not conquered it yet."
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