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Union College women's ice hockey senior defenseman
Ashley Johnston was one of four student athletes from across the United States to participate in this year's NCAA Final Four Innovation Summit.
Johnston was joined by other student athlete innovators from Stanford and Princeton to take part in the one day summit at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas on April 7.
The second annual Final Four Innovation Summit, which was presented by Turner Sports and the NCAA, is an exclusive, invite-only event to celebrate those who are pushing the boundaries of innovation – from students and student-athletes who represent the next generation of leading innovators, to high-profile business leaders who began their path towards innovation while in school. The Summit showcased select college students and high-profile executives who are pursuing ground-breaking innovations in dynamic industries, such as sports, health/wellness, emerging media, and technology.
Johnston and the other "Final Four" student athletes discussed their ideas for innovations as panelists in a discussion that was moderated by Brooke Baldwin, Anchor and Correspondent for CNN.
Industry leading guests included Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour, Grant Hill, Turner Sports and CBS NCAA Studio Analyst, and Jason Jacobs, founder and CEO of RunKeeper. Joining Baldwin as moderators were fellow CNN anchors Wolf Blitzer and Chris Cuomo.
Johnston was invited after the organizing committee learned of her senior mechanical engineering project that is aimed at creating low-cost adjustable-prosthetics for children.
Her inspiration for this project came from Kristen Shinebarger, the 11-year old Union fan that lost her leg due to the devastating effects of Ewings Sarcoma. Johnston grew close with Kristen's family and has recently pushed her prosthetic through a design phase and is building a model this semester. She is also pushing her idea on an international scale as she has applied to four conferences in both Canada and the U.S. to discuss her project.
Here is a Q&A with Ashley on her experience in Dallas: Q: What was the overall experience like in Dallas?
A: The atmosphere there was unreal- everything was about the Final Four was amazing to be part of. The hotel and the conference was flooded with UConn [University of Connecticut] alum so it was really cool seeing such a large group of people come together for an event.
The conference was equally as incredible. There were so many phenomenal people doing great things to try to change the world. Everyone was very humble about it too; you could be talking to a multimillionaire investor, the CEO of a major company, or an inventor of a major consumer product. Everyone was the same, humble, appreciative, and truly interested in what everyone was doing. Q: What industry leaders did you have the chance to meet while at the Summit?
A: I had the chance to meet the founder of Under Armor, the CEO of NCAA, Grant Hill, as well as a couple CNN hosts. Q: How was it to meet the other student innovators?
A: It was great. They were all doing incredible things to change the world and were all so humble about it. One of the girls has met President Barack Obama twice for her major breakthroughs in cancer research and was able to make it seem like no big deal- that's pretty impressive! We were also able to sit and collaborate a bit on ideas. Q: What was the single most important piece of information/experience that you took away from the event?
A: I learned that passion is an incredible thing. It's really what seems to have motivated everyone at the conference in one way or another. Having a passionate life is truly wonderful. Q: Did you make any connections to move your senior project forward?
A: I made connections with two different investor groups. I’m looking forward to tackling the business aspect of the project and continuing to work towards patenting the design. Q: Who else was at the event from Union College?
A: My head coach Claudia Asano Barcomb was there, she has always been a big supporter of mine so it was great to have her there by my side! 