SAN MATEO, Calif. — At the conclusion of each academic year, the West Coast Conference announces its major individual year-end honors as a celebration of the best and brightest to represent the conference and its member institutions. Tuesday, the WCC announced the winner of its very unique and special #WCCRepresent Award, which was given to Saint Mary's Volleyball.
 
The #WCCREPRESENT award is unique as it may honor a student-athlete, team, or campus Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for initiatives that promote the positive WCC SAAC values of sportsmanship and community service. The winner is recognized for efforts to represent the #WCCREPRESENT tagline: Our Conference. Our School. Our Team. Ourselves.
 
In January of 2020, Saint Mary's Volleyball began a new initiative focused on raising awareness, combating and supporting survivors of human trafficking. The team started its own campus-approved club named LIGHT: Gaels Against Human Trafficking. The team immersed in education under the direction and mentorship of the organization "Love Never Fails" – https://www.loveneverfailsus.com/ – and did community outreach to engage the public and raise awareness. Once campus life emerges from COVID-19 restrictions, LIGHT: Gaels Against Human Trafficking plans to engage in more community events.

"Our entire team got on board quite quickly because this issue is so widespread, especially in our area," said Selbie Christensen of the Gaels. "Being women, this really hit home, with so many our age, younger, and older that are affected by this."

In a year where COVID-19 made spreading awareness a unique issue, with social gatherings limited, the Gaels found other ways to get the word out. "We started off small because COVID-19 put a wrench in our plans, so we began with advocacy activities, like standing on street corners," Jennifer "Boo" Laird mentioned. "We took a step further and met with survivors of human trafficking and we talked about their experience in hopes of better understading the issue."

"Our team is thrilled and honored to be the recipients of the #WCCRepresent Award," Rob Browning, head coach of the Gaels, noted. "We are committed to raising awareness about the worldwide plague of human trafficking and finding ways to combat it and support trafficking survivors."

"We encourage people everywhere to learn about human trafficking, recognize that it is all around us, and find ways to support the many organizations that work to combat it. This award helps us raise awareness even more, and for that we are grateful."
 
The annual #WCCRepresent Award is voted on by the 10 Student Athletic Advisory Council (SAAC) groups and is one of seven awards the conference hands out post-season. All awards focus not just on performance on the courts/fields, but rather on work that is done in the classroom and the community.

You can learn more about LIGHT at their website: https://stmarysvb.wixsite.com/light