Inside the ACC Unity Tour’s Capitol Hill Stop: Student-Athletes Sit Down With Florida’s Congressional Delegation

The Atlantic Coast Conference wrapped up one of its most meaningful offseason traditions last week, as student-athletes and administrators from all 18 member institutions descended on Washington, D.C., for the fifth annual ACC Unity Tour. Among the standout moments from the four-day trip: a stop at the U.S. Capitol that gave student-athletes the rare opportunity to sit down face-to-face with members of Congress — including U.S. Representatives from Florida, home to ACC programs Florida State and Miami.

For student-athletes used to measuring their days in practice reps, film sessions, and travel itineraries, spending an afternoon walking the halls of Congress and talking policy with the people who represent their home state was a markedly different kind of experience — and, by all accounts, an unforgettable one.

What Is the ACC Unity Tour?

Now in its fifth year, the ACC Unity Tour has become one of the conference’s signature leadership initiatives, part of the league’s broader ACC UNITE platform. Each year, every ACC member institution sends a small delegation — a mix of student-athletes and coaches or administrators to spend several days immersed in an experience built around history, leadership, and civic engagement.

The tour has visited different corners of the country since its 2022 launch, from Selma and Montgomery, Alabama, to Charleston, South Carolina, and back to Washington, D.C. for this year’s installment, which ran July 12-15. This year’s theme centered on the intersection of sport, leadership, and diplomacy, giving participants the chance to engage directly with policymakers, historians, and community leaders throughout the nation’s capital.

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips has consistently pointed to the Unity Tour as one of the defining experiences the conference provides its student-athletes, emphasizing the initiative’s ability to connect people across campuses, strengthen communities, and prepare the next generation of leaders both in athletics and beyond.

The Capitol Hill Experience

The centerpiece of this year’s trip was a visit to the U.S. Capitol, where student-athletes had the opportunity to go well beyond a typical tourist stop. Rather than simply touring the halls where American laws are written, participants engaged directly in conversations with sitting members of Congress a rare, up-close look at how the legislative process actually works.

For the contingent representing Florida’s ACC programs, that meant meeting with U.S. Representatives from their home state, giving student-athletes the chance to discuss everything from the legislative process to career paths on Capitol Hill with the very people elected to represent their communities back home. It’s the kind of access most college students never get, let alone student-athletes balancing the demands of a full competitive schedule.

These conversations tie directly into the broader purpose of the Unity Tour: showing student-athletes that the leadership skills they build on the field, court, or track translate directly into leadership in their communities and, potentially, in public service.

More Than Just the Capitol: A Full Week of Engagement

While the Capitol Hill meetings were a headline moment, they were just one part of a packed itinerary. Throughout the week, student-athletes also took part in a community service initiative alongside SOUL Programs DC, a local organization, where they helped repair a tennis court and spent time interacting with local students a tangible, hands-on complement to the more policy-focused conversations happening elsewhere in the city.

Between the historical context, the policy conversations, and the community engagement work, the Unity Tour is designed to give student-athletes a well-rounded look at how sport can serve as a bridge connecting campuses, communities, and even branches of government — while reinforcing the idea that leadership doesn’t stop when the final whistle blows.

Why This Trip Matters for Student-Athletes

It’s easy to view a trip like this as a nice offseason perk, but the impact tends to run deeper than that. For many participants, the Unity Tour offers their first real exposure to how government works, direct interaction with elected officials, and a firsthand look at career paths — from legislative staff work to public service that they may never have considered as part of their post-athletics future.

That’s especially meaningful for student-athletes from Florida’s ACC schools, who got to have those conversations not with generic policymakers, but with the specific representatives elected to advocate for their home communities in Washington. It’s a reminder that student-athletes are, first and foremost, students and citizens — with the same stake in civic life as anyone else, and often a louder platform to make use of it.

Final Thoughts

The ACC Unity Tour has quickly become one of the conference’s most valued offseason traditions, and this year’s trip to Washington, D.C. delivered exactly the kind of experience the initiative was built for. Between the Capitol Hill meetings with Florida’s congressional delegation, the community service work with SOUL Programs DC, and the broader focus on leadership and civic engagement, student-athletes left the nation’s capital with more than just a few days away from summer training — they left with a firsthand look at leadership in a completely different arena.

As the conference gears up for another school year, the relationships and lessons built during this year’s Unity Tour figure to stick with these student-athletes well beyond their time in Washington a reminder that the ACC’s investment in its athletes extends far past the scoreboard.