3 Athletes Named Finalists for 2026 Civic Leadership Award
Athletes Unlimited has announced the three finalists for the 2025 Civic Leadership Award: AU Pro Basketball’s Sequoia Holmes, AU Pro Volleyball’s Betty De La Cruz-Mejía, and the AUSL’s Bubba Nickles-Camarena. Each athlete won the Impact Award for their respective sport and now competes for the honor that recognizes meaningful civic leadership efforts across all Athletes Unlimited sports.
The Civic Leadership Award recognizes an Athletes Unlimited athlete each year for meaningful civic leadership efforts both during the season and in the off-season. Athletes may nominate themselves or their peers, highlighting leadership demonstrated through Athlete Causes, volunteerism, community service, fundraising, voter engagement, advocacy, and other forms of civic impact within and beyond Athletes Unlimited.
The 2026 voting committee includes Johari Matthews, Vice President and Executive Director of ONE Community and the Tennessee Titans Foundation; Sarah Spain, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning sports journalist and Content Director of the iHeart Women’s Sports Network; Beth Brooke, who serves on multiple boards including The New York Times Company and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee; and Sue Enquist, a Senior Fellow in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and 11-time national champion as a player and coach at UCLA.
Sequoia Holmes – Vegas Elite Basketball Club
Holmes serves as assistant director for Vegas Elite Basketball Club, a Las Vegas-based youth basketball organization serving youth ages 5 to 17, and is the largest organization of its kind in Nevada. The recognition holds personal significance for Holmes, who grew up playing basketball in Las Vegas.
“It means the world to me that my peers and organizations have kind of understood what my mission is, what my goal is, and they value my commitment and see that as something that should be honored,” Holmes said.
Holmes views her work with Vegas Elite as teaching life lessons through basketball and chose the organization as her athlete cause for her first two AU seasons in 2024 and 2025. Her approach to civic leadership stems from mentors throughout her own athletic career.
“It takes a neighborhood and a village to raise children,” Holmes said. “I was so positively impacted by all of the people in my world that I feel like being somebody like that for young athletes is important because not every person has exactly what you need, but every person in this world can provide you with exactly what’s necessary for you to be successful.”
Betty De La Cruz-Mejía – Go Ministries
De La Cruz-Mejía played for Go Ministries, an organization based in her home country, the Dominican Republic, that aims to create spiritual leaders through sports. The AU Pro Volleyball career leader in leaderboard points, win points, stat points, MVP points, kills, and service aces has consistently used her platform to inspire the next generation.
“My cause has always been to demonstrate that dreams have no limits when accompanied by discipline, faith, and purpose,” De La Cruz-Mejía said. “Through volleyball, I’ve learned that leading isn’t commanding, but serving. My most important cause is to continue using sport as a tool to inspire, educate, and create opportunities for others.”
“If my story can remind anyone that talent without discipline is aimless, and that leadership is born by example, then my entire journey has been worth it,” she added.
Bubba Nickles-Camarena – Athletes in Action
Nickles-Camarena has been a part of Athletes in Action since her senior year in college. The faith-based organization helps and encourages athletes and coaches to root their identity in something beyond their sport. She found her faith between her junior and senior years at UCLA and has been seeking community through the organization throughout her playing career.
“This cause is important to me because of the people who are a part of the organization,” Nickles-Camarena said. “They seek to help all athletes and coaches they encounter to live out their purpose in athletics without making fame, success, or money their idol.”
Nickles-Camarena is also a college coach and works with her husband, who is employed full-time by Athletes in Action, to host events, involve herself in outreaches, and build relationships to advocate for the organization’s mission.
At the end of each season, Athletes Unlimited, powered by Give Lively and the Give Lively Foundation, makes a grant equal to 100% of the athlete’s end-of-season win bonus to the nonprofit of the athlete’s choice.
The Civic Leadership Award reflects Athletes Unlimited’s continued commitment to athlete-driven impact, recognizing leaders who use their platform to create meaningful change in their communities. The winner will be announced during the AU Pro Basketball season in Nashville.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
