
Student-athlete Hailey Gamble represented Penn State Abington and the United East Conference at the NCAA convention in Nashville.
ABINGTON, Pa. — Standout Penn State Abington student-athlete Hailey Gamble is singing the praises of the NCAA annual convention that she attended last month in Nashville. She had the opportunity to weigh in on issues that affect student-athletes on the conference and national level and learn about the mechanics of the complex organization.
“I learned how to interact with others, communicate difficult topics, and advocate for important issues at the conference,” said Gamble, who is president of Abington’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
It also infused her with a deeper appreciation of her peers.
“Seeing thousands of other people just like me care about the same exact types of things, and they weren't afraid to speak up in front of thousands of people with power was incredible. Our generation is going to be making so many waves within this world, and I’m so excited and proud of the people we are all becoming,” the four-year softball player said.
Gamble attended forums on leadership, diversity, employee recruitment for athletics, NIL (name, image and likeness), and the United East Athletic Conference, and she spent time with other Division III student-athletes from across the country discussing the successes happening on their campuses.
She was thrilled when she learned last fall that she would attend the conference with Abington Chancellor Gary Liguori and Director of Athletics, Intramurals and Recreation Erin Foley.
"It was a tremendous honor for Hailey to be selected to attend as a student-athlete representative for the United East Athletic Conference and Penn State Abington," Foley said. "The student-athlete perspective is so important when making decisions on legislation and issues that will affect their athletic and academic experience, and Hailey's insight helped shape those discussions to keep student-athletes at the forefront of those conversations."
It wasn’t all business for Gamble and the other student-athletes while they were in Music City.
“We made sure to explore downtown Nashville, find lots of good restaurants, and even made time to listen to great live music,” she said.
The outfielder is preparing for her final season at Abington while wrapping up her coursework so she can graduate in May. The team will travel to South Carolina over spring break to play in a tournament.
In addition to her athletic commitments, Gamble is set to earn two degrees in May, one in criminal justice and the other in psychological and social sciences, and complete a minor in psychology. As a Schreyer Honors College scholar, she is completing her thesis on explaining future sex offending through childhood trauma.
“It’s very dark, but ultimately, this is the demographic I’ll be working with, and if nobody is going to take it on and help these individuals, I will,” she said.
Simultaneously, she is enrolled in Abington’s 4+2 master’s program in clinical counseling, which allows students to take up to 15 credits tuition-free in master's-level coursework in either the clinical or school counseling program at Moravian University.
“Working on my master’s degree is not nearly as daunting as I thought. The program has allowed me to take what I’ve learned in my undergraduate classes and apply it,” Gamble said.
About Penn State Abington
Penn State Abington provides an affordable, accessible and high-impact education resulting in the success of a diverse student body. It is committed to student success through innovative approaches to 21st-century public higher education within a world-class research university. With more than 3,100 students, Penn State Abington is a residential campus that offers baccalaureate degrees in 26 majors, accelerated master's degrees, undergraduate research, the Schreyer Honors College, NCAA Division III athletics and more.