Mt. SAC's Rojas recipient of NFCA’s first Diversity Convention Grant

Contact: Brian Stanley, Director of Media Relations, 502-409-4600, brian@nfca.org

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The NFCA is pleased to announce Rubilena Rojas, head coach at Mt. San Antonio College, as the first recipient of the Association's Diversity Convention Grant.

The grant, created by the NFCA's Diversity Committee, is awarded to a minority member coach who shows a commitment to working with minorities and growing the game of fastpitch in their communities and has a need for financial assistance to attend the convention. She will receive registration to the 2016 NFCA Convention in New Orleans as well as any travel and lodging costs up to $1,500.

Rojas, who enters her fifth year as Mt. SAC's skipper, plays a key role in the development and running of camps and clinics with minorities at the local and international level. She currently runs her softball academy in Nicaragua that helps young women who come from very humble backgrounds, and is making a difference in their lives through softball. A few girls traveled from Nicaragua to California to participate in the Mt. SAC softball clinics in order to gain the United States softball experience, which changed their lives and perceptions forever.

Two of those participants used their experience at Mt. SAC and earned softball scholarships to a junior college in Texas. According to Rojas, this success story has motivated more female athletes from Latin America to aspire to play softball in the U.S.

"I feel that the best way to improve the situation (lack of minorities playing softball) is for minority athletes and coaches to continue advocating and reaching out to their local communities," said Rojas. "Promoting affordable camps and clinics that include your current players or former athletes will help minorities have better access to the sport."

Rojas has worked at several international softball camps geared towards underprivileged children in Latin America (Nicaragua, Columbia and Venezuela) as part of the Empowering Women and Girls Through Sports Envoy Program which is funded by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. She also had the opportunity to work as a competition manager for the 2015 Special Olympic World Games Los Angeles at UCLA's Easton Field.

The 2003 Virginia graduate and 2008 Olympian on the Venezuelan National Team takes time out of her busy schedule to be a motivational speaker across the country as well as in several Latin American countries. Fluent in Spanish, Rojas has been asked to go to other countries such as Mexico, Peru and Argentina to promote softball and run camps and clinics. In addition, she has produced several skills videos in Spanish in order to help provide proper softball information that is accessible to Latin American countries.