“The Most Powerful Thing I’ve Done at Wake”

Throughout his four years at Wake Forest, Cooper Flax (’25) was short on time. Flax, who served as captain of the Wake Forest soccer team, would get up early in the morning to train, lift weights, attend team meetings, and practice. He would spend time traveling to away games. He worked for hours in class, and when he had free time, he would study. “Having time for anything else, like calling your parents, calling your friends? It’s super limited,” he says.

So this summer, when Flax spent three days at our Program’s Men’s Student-Athlete retreat, it was a moment to slow down, think, and share. The retreat was led by Wendell Dunn, the Assistant Director of Leadership and Character for Athletics, who teamed up with Associate Athletic Director Dwight Lewis. The two created an opportunity for Wake Forest student-athletes to build deeper connections with one another, reflect on their personal experiences, and explore their sense of purpose. “They competed with joy, led with heart, laughed loudly, listened deeply, and left as brothers,” says Dunn.

The student-athletes participated in several workshops in Winston-Salem and Boone, played golf at Crossnore, and held a cooking competition. But to Flax, the real value came in conversations where he and others were able to open up. “You’re kind of forced to put yourself into vulnerable situations, where you share things. It normally takes you months to share with people,” he says. At the retreat, Dunn and Lewis encouraged deep connection in a short time. “I know I’m not the only one that goes through struggles, so it was helpful seeing how other people go through struggles, whether they play my sport or not.”

Flax, who graduated in December and signed his first pro contract with New York City FC, says he has made lasting friends from the retreat. “The way that [Dunn and Lewis] were able to transform just a bunch of athletes into kind of a mini family? It was awesome,” he says. “It was probably the most powerful thing I’ve done at Wake.”