Emory University senior volleyball standout Leah Saunders (Simpsonville, SC) is participating in this week's NCAA Division III Student Immersion Program.

The Student Immersion Progam has its origins in 2015, when at the recommendation of the Division III Diversity and Inclusion Working Group, the Division III governance staff and the NCAA Office of Inclusion partnered on a new program that brought 40 ethnic minority students to the NCAA Convention.

The selected students are fully funded to attend the Convention, and they are exposed to Division III, its members and its governance process. In addition to the scheduled Division III programming, grant recipients receive DiSC training, and attend welcome and debrief meetings. The goal is to build a pipeline of talented ethnic minority candidates, with an interest in Division III coaching and/or administration, in an effort to ultimately diversify the division.

A 2019 First Team All-American as selected by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, Saunders was tabbed as the University Athletic Association's Most Valuable Player in 2018 and 2019.  She helped the Eagles to a 2018 national title and a runner-up berth the following campaign.  Career-wise, she ranks 15th on the school's all-time chart in kills average (2.84 kps) and stands 18th with 1,040 kills. 

An Anthropology major, Saunders will graduate this May.