Another Successful DRIVE Program in the Books

Dartmouth Peak Performance is a unique part of the Dartmouth Athletics experience.

One of its distinctive offerings is DRIVE, a summer program which promotes the core values of development, resilience, ingenuity, valor and excellence. The participants meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout their sophomore summers and receive valuable lessons while building camaraderie amongst their fellow classmates as they enter the second half of their collegiate experiences.

One of @DartmouthPeak's distinctive offerings is DRIVE, a summer leadership program.

Ahead of the first day of classes on Monday, take a look back to the 2023 program!

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— Dartmouth Athletics (@dartmouthsports) September 11, 2023

The 2023 course wrapped up in early August, with 70 members of the Class of 2025 across 22 sports receiving certificates marking completion of the six-week course.

"Participating in DRIVE has catalyzed profound personal and professional growth within me," said Dasa Hase of women's soccer. "The program's focus on values, strengths, resilience, creativity, effective communication, accountability and goal-oriented leadership has transformed my approach. I now hope to lead with authenticity, using my strengths and adapting resiliently to challenges.

"This development journey has empowered me to make more meaningful and impactful contributions as a leader," Hase continued. "DRIVE also showed me the value of collaborative leadership, leveraging the strengths of each team member to lead collectively and reach the team goal."

DRIVE is led by Stephen Gonzalez, the Corrigan Family Assistant Athletics Director for Leadership and Mental Performance.

"With each year that passes, I am so thankful for the generosity, passion, and support of Fritz and Glenda Corrigan ('64) and their whole family for allowing us to continue the mission of Dartmouth College through our athletics department — preparing students for a lifetime of learning and responsible leadership," said Gonzalez.

DRIVE featured a combination of classroom sessions (primarily on Tuesdays) and interactive team-building exercises (primarily on Thursdays).

"I really enjoy how the DRIVE program is set up," said Jackson Proctor of football. "Stephen has brought variety to the program, year in and year out, which is an example of the great person he truly is. He has prepared us to rely on our teammates and think on our feet. The class was unique in the way we break up the classroom time with our activity sessions every week. It allowed for the athletes to take what we learned inside and implement outside on Thursdays when the pressure was on to perform at a high level."

Near the start of the summer, there was a special guest speaker in lieutenant Ian Short, who spoke about Army leadership. Each of the letters of the DRIVE acronym made up a classroom session topic.

"The best way to describe how I've grown through the DRIVE program is learning that leadership is not all on one person," said Proctor. "I learned that being able to rely on the people around you when you may not know the answer can take you a long way. Leadership is also a skill, therefore it can be taught, learned, and developed. I've grown drastically through the program and better understand that leadership is a process that takes time and effort."

Leadership is in many ways, a never-ending process. It will stick with the 70 student-athletes well beyond their times at Dartmouth.

"Looking ahead 5 to 10 years, when reflecting on DRIVE, what will stand out the most are the meaningful relationships forged through collaboration with other student-athletes," said Hase. "The connections made with fellow Dartmouth Athletes will remain a highlight, symbolizing the program's enduring impact on both personal and professional growth. In addition, I will also remember the valuable skills and compassion shared by Gonzo, which enhanced our leadership abilities after each session."

With 35 varsity sports at Dartmouth, it can be challenging for student-athletes to form relationships across the department. DRIVE creates a platform to do just that.

"Being on campus with the entire sophomore class while doing DRIVE allowed me to build connections with other athletes that I will cherish," said Proctor. "Being surrounded by people who share my values motivates me to develop personally so that I can inspire my teammates to do the same."

The DRIVE program helps each student-athlete who participates, which in turn helps their teammates… and Dartmouth as a whole.

"We have an incredible community here at Dartmouth and having the opportunity to come together in collaboration to grow and become better leaders is an incredible privilege," said Hase.

"I would definitely recommend the program to others."

"We want DRIVE to not just help student-athletes be successful in the sports they pursue, but also make sure they're developing lifelong friendships and making sure they have a wonderful tie and connection to this place, because Dartmouth is a special place and being a student-athlete is a very special thing," said Gonzalez.