ExcelU, Powered by Starr Commonwealth

Learn | Play | Win Together

ExcelU is an evidence-based school and community curriculum that unifies academic success and health-wellness for students. The curriculum was created and designed by Educated Stars of Tomorrow, LLC., which was founded by former NBA player Willie Burton. Using a multifaceted approach, this curriculum engages both students (Student-Scholars) and student athletes (Scholar-Athletes) to equip them with the necessary tools to maneuver the complexities of student life leading into adulthood.

ExcelU has partnered with Starr Commonwealth to deliver a dynamic and wide-reaching platform to ensure success for all Student-Scholars and Scholar-Athletes.

ExcelU is the brainchild of Willie Burton

ExcelU Program Overview

Recognizing the urgent need to holistically address the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of student-scholars and scholar-athletes for measurable and consistent increases in traditional performance modalities particularly student academic achievement, ExcelU has as its primary purpose to provide professional development to the stakeholders directly responsible for achieving those goals. ExcelU will address the barriers, as well as the opportunities for student success.

ExcelU Curricula Offerings

  • Championship Drive - Goal setting, visioning success, creating and acting on healthy intentions
  • Act with Purpose - Problem solving, decision-making, ethical choices and actions
  • Be a Role Model - Mentors vs. role models, finding and being a mentor
  • Physical Well-Being - Nutrition, sleep, injury prevention and recovery, avoidance of performance-enhancing drugs
  • Stay Eligible - Organizational, study and time-management skills
  • Keeping the Right Company - Healthy relationships, resisting influence and persuasion
  • Manage Burnout - Emotional and mental toughness

ExcelU - Self-Empowerment & Resiliency

The Self-Empowerment and Resiliency Program is designed to help students become more aware of their feelings, emotions and sensations they experience. It promotes self-empowerment, independence, and healthy self-regulation skills for all students. Self-regulation also teaches how the brain and body communicate during adversity on the inside, to foster resilience on the outside. Each lesson guides the student through a path of self discovery that seeks to support the student at maintaining or re-establishing emotional balance and self awareness under any situation.

This program includes a manual for the facilitator, with step-by-step instructions to move through 8 sessions with the adolescent or group, and one Self-Empowerment and Resiliency Program Workbook. You may want to purchase a workbook for each adolescent as it is a great keepsake.

Self-Empowerment & Resiliency Learning Objectives

  • Learn how individuals, have the ability to build resilience despite adversity.
  • Learn how stress and trauma affect the brain.
  • Give students the necessary knowledge and skills for self-awareness at recognizing trauma and fostering resilience while being able to identify difficult emotions.
  • Help students understand their own social engagement system and what happens inside their bodies during times of dysregulation.
  • Learn how to think through and beyond emotion.
  • Practice reflecting on thoughts and how they drive feelings and behavior.
  • Interpret emotions and express them in a positive and constructive manner.
  • Learn how grounding techniques help self-regulation.
  • Learn how to live a self-managed life.

Training & Coaching

Starr's team stands ready to work with your staff to fully implement Self-Empowerment & Resiliency. To get started, request a quote today!

Willie Burton Speaking Engagements

Willie Burton has dedicated his post-NBA years to changing the lives of children and student-athletes through his dynamic ExcelU curriculum. He is passionate about his purpose, and would love the opportunity to deliver his message to your school or organization.

Additional ExcelU Products

ExcelU - Win All Four Overview

Most scholar-athletes have as a goal to play the sport of their choice for a college or university, usually with an athletic scholarship. In order to achieve this goal, they must be NCAA eligible, which for many is awfully difficult. The Excel WIN ALL FOUR component , the brainchild of Mike Kostoff, an educator/coach who saw student after student get their collegiate athletic hopes dashed due to academic missteps, is a
comprehensive tool that allows students, counselors, coaches and parents to anticipate and monitor the academic requirements and actions needed to be NCAA eligible.

With plan of actions directed for each year of High School, Win All Four is unique in that planning for college is proactive, rather than reactive. It recognizes the pitfalls that students often fall into, with practical methods to avoid them.

Win All Four Offerings

  • Helps prepare students for college – whether they obtain that elusive athletic scholarship or not.
  • Recognizes that a student who is NCAA eligible is qualified for academic financial assistance as well.
  • Gives the student an enhanced opportunity to ensure that their higher education is paid for – and not dependent upon athletic prowess.
  • Win All Four provides the methodology for students to be full partners with their Counselors, Coaches and Teachers.
  • Feedback monitoring is included for both the student and their educators.

ExcelU - Health, Strength, Nutrition

The ExcelU program is unique in that it addresses a major component that is sorely missing in education – particularly of scholar athletes: health, strength, and nutrition. Historically, these issues have been addressed minimally in isolation, if at all. The results have been unnecessary injury and poor overall wellness. Also, poor nutrition has long been recognized as a major hindrance to academic achievement. As a crucial part of a holistic approach to ensure the success of participants, ExcelU has raised the bar in what this means with its Health, Strength and Nutrition component.

Developed in collaboration with nationally renowned specialists in the field, this unequaled component takes a year-long look at the exercises and nutrition needed for each sport that a student might encounter. In addition to addressing the sport in-season, the Health, Strength and Nutrition component looks at out of season as well – ensuring that each student is equipped with the tools necessary to maximize health and wellness. With this comprehensive resource, coaches are better able to meet the needs of the individual scholar-athlete they serve, parents are more informed to make healthy choices for their families, and students themselves are empowered to self-monitor and improve their physical and nutritional soundness.

ExcelU - Student-Athlete Playbook

A modular and evidence-based program, the Student-Athlete Playbook units address the needs of the whole student and the adults who guide them, with the aim of transformative change that is measurable academically, behaviorally, socially, emotionally, and physically.