Molly Dreher Leading Change with VOICEINSPORT

On the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, one Saint Mary's student-athlete is helping lead an event that hopes to continue improving gender equity in college and high school sports.

Molly Dreher ’24 is one of the captains of Saint Mary's Cross Country & Track and is an advocate for VOICEINSPORT, which provides a community-based platform for digital services in mental health, nutrition, sport science, and mentoring from pro athletes to keep girls and women in sport. She has worked with the organization for about a year as part of the VIS Advocate Program, which began in 2021.

The journey that led Dreher to VOICEINSPORT came through Title IX work at Saint Mary's, where she wanted to get more hands-on experience. In a conversation with SMC Athletics, Dreher stated that while "it was a great role, it's a bigger problem than just [at the local level]."

A friend recommended Dreher to the VIS Advocate Program, where she began working with the founder and CEO of VOICEINSPORT, Stef Strack. Right out of the gates, Strack was up front about the role that Dreher would be playing, and it was a bit mind-boggling to Dreher initially.

"It's all worked out great, but it's a crazy feeling," explains Dreher. "Stef is someone with a pedigree of work, so she knows the business world, and I'm a psychology major, so I don't know anything about it."

Part of Dreher's role was drafting the Fair Play for Women Act of 2022, which is aimed at strengthening three key areas of Title IX in which VIS Advocates have been leading: education, reporting and transparency, and enforcement. While others contributed to the legislation, Dreher was the primary author behind much of the language.

"Every step of the VIS Advocate Program has been extremely rewarding, from writing the bill proposal, to connecting with our government officials through Capitol Hill Days and gaining a sponsor," Dreher stated in the official release on VOICEINSPORT.com. "Being an advocate is not easy, but when all you're pushing gets the boulder a little further you can't help but smile. Seeing this bill, one with my voice within it is an unforgettable and powerful experience!"

Presenting to Members of Congress

The work for Dreher did not stop at drafting the Fair Play for Women Act of 2022. She was also tasked with presenting it in front of several members of the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. The process took months to pan out, but two featured members took interest in the bill. Representative Alma Adams, representing the 12th Congressional District of North Carolina, joined in November, and Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut officially joined as a sponsor in January.

What is like for a Cross Country & Track student-athlete jumping all-into the world of politics and leading an effort to bring about positive change? "Until Thursday comes, I don't think I'll be able to digest the position that I'm in because it's unlike anything I've ever done before," Dreher tried to explain.

At the event on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Dreher will be speaking as part of a panel on how to strengthen Title IX. She joins three other student-athletes in the group: Sydney Moore of Volleyball; Audra Koopman of Penn State Track & Field; and Nya Harrison of Stanford Soccer. Being surrounded by others in a similar position as hers, in addition to leaders in the business world, has helped give Dreher a new perspective about the power of action.

"I think this experience has made me realize how much my voice actually counts," Dreher said. "It's changed my perspective of being passive versus active in terms of activism. I've done stuff that was hands-on, but I was waiting for something to happen. It helped that I had a company behind me that got more attention, but I set up all the meetings with senators. It taught me that taking that initiative isn't a dead-end.

"I've always felt powerless at things that had me at a disadvantage in sports, but that's not the case. It's seems like it's been painted that way, but I'm learning how to find power in different avenues."
 
Dreher plans on taking what she has put forward through VOICEINSPORTS and bringing it back to the local level at Saint Mary's as well as the West Coast Conference. "It's almost like a reversal where I take what I learn at this national legislative level and bring it back to the local level."

For more information on the platform, visit their official website at VOICEINSPORT.com. Read more about the 50th Anniversary of Title IX event to be held on Thursday.

Read this story as it was originally published and learn more about Saint Mary's Cross Country & Track at SMCGaels.com.