(Black PR Wire) The only thing you can control in life is your attitude. That’s what Buck Martinez, co-founder of the nonprofit Student ACES, shared with about 150 high school sports captains from around Broward County this past Friday.

The team captains gathered at Plantation High School for a day-long Captains Summit, where Martinez and Student ACES took time to invest in the teens’ leadership development and character-building skills.

With support and funding from Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), Student ACES has been able to host eight of these Captains Summits along with countless workshops at South Florida schools. The goal at all the events is to inspire and develop high school student athletes to become young men and women of character, honor and integrity.

“Investing in the development of high school students who can be outstanding future employees is part of our commitment to working with the communities we serve to help make them better places to live, work and raise a family,” said Pam Rauch, FPL’s vice president of external affairs and economic development.

At Friday’s event, Martinez surprised the teens with a visit from Plantation-native Quadtrine Hill, who played football for the University of Miami and then professionally for a short time before reinventing himself as a professional boxer. The teens also heard from St. Thomas University team captain Maria Vega and president David Armstrong.

At the summit, the teens were challenged with case studies and faced with real-life situations involving social media challenges and bullying, said Martinez, who with his daughter Krissy Webb founded Student ACES in 2013.

“These summits are a great opportunity to bring in captains from different schools and teach them leadership traits because really, they are the faces of their schools on the field,” said Martinez.

For more information about Student ACES, visit www.studentacesforleadership.com.