About SEEDS

SEEDS is a dedicated mentoring initiative designed for racially minoritized graduate students and early career faculty. This program provides a healing and empowering space for emergent scholars with marginalized racial and ethnic identities within NASSS, supporting their success within the association and academia more broadly. SEEDS aims to cultivate and prepare the future generation of sport sociologists. 

Who Should Apply

All NASSS graduate students and junior faculty who identify as racially minoritized—regardless of citizenship or nationality—are strongly encouraged to apply. We also invite advisers to share this opportunity widely and encourage eligible students and colleagues to apply!

SEEDS Program Goals

• Build a supportive and intellectually nourishing community for racially minoritized graduate students and junior faculty.
• Provide essential skills for thriving in academia, with a focus on:
  • Pedagogical development
  • Writing and publishing strategies
  • Leadership and empowerment
  • Mentorship (as both mentees and future mentors)
• Facilitate professional development through workshops on career strategies from graduate school through the academic job market.
• Expand and enrich the intellectual landscape of sport sociology.

Participant Commitments

• Fully engage and participate in all pre-conference virtual sessions (4 sessions between August and November) 
• Register for and attend the NASSS 2026 Annual Conference in Calgary.
• Submit an unpublished piece of scholarly writing (e.g., journal manuscript, book chapters, and book proposal) to be workshopped with peers and SEEDS Mentor.
• Offer constructive, thoughtful feedback on fellow mentees’ work.
• Cultivate lasting professional relationships with mentors and peers.

Instructions for Mentees

Please submit your application to Umer Hussain ([email protected]) and YJ Kim ([email protected]) by June 1st, 2026, with "SEEDS Application" in the subject line. Past participants are welcome to apply again, but first-time applicants will receive priority.

Your application should include a two-page personal statement addressing the following:

• What are your research interests?
• What type of scholar do you desire to be?
• What access to mentoring do you currently have?
• What skills would you like to develop through this program?
• What topics or issues would you like to explore in the workshops?
• How does your work align with the goals of SEEDS?
• Lastly, what is the scholarly piece you will work on with your Mentor from August to December? 

Instructions for Mentors

Are you a NASSSer with a PhD who is passionate about mentoring racially minoritized emerging scholars? Do you enjoy providing professional guidance and detailed feedback on scholarly writing? Are you committed to supporting the growth and development of early-career scholars beyond your institution? If so, we invite you to apply as a mentor!

Sign up using this Google form by June 1, 2026. Past mentors are welcome to apply again, though preference will be given to new mentors.

Program Support

To ensure accessibility and inclusivity, SEEDS mentees and mentors will receive:

• One complimentary night at the conference hotel | Nov 3rd - Nov 4th, 2026
• Complimentary meals on the day of in-person engagement (Nov 4th, 2026) (e.g., breakfast, lunch,  dinner)
• Mentors will also receive a modest honorarium.

For questions or more information, feel free to contact Ajhanai Keaton, the Chair of SEEDS. 

Ajhanai Keaton (Committee Chair) | [email protected]
Christopher McLeod
Umer Hussain
Adam Ali
Tiesha Martin
YJ Kim