Bograd & Starks Named Finalists For Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup
December 06, 2022 | Men's Soccer, Softball
Each year, "Athletes For A Better World" presents the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup -- named in honor of legendary UCLA men's basketball coach John Wooden -- to athletes from the professional, collegiate and high school ranks who have made the greatest difference in the lives of others.
Twenty-six finalists have been announced for the 2023 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, including a pair of Princeton student-athletes in Ben Bograd (men's soccer) and Serena Starks (softball). The recipients -- one male and one female -- will be announced in early January and honored on April 27 at a ceremony held at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
A politics major pursuing certificates in history and the practice of diplomacy and American Studies, Ben Bograd serves as president of Princeton's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (VSAAC) and is on the Executive Committee with Princeton's Student-Athlete Wellness Leaders (SAWLs). With SAWLs, he has helped recruit and train over 50 student-athletes to provide resources and referrals to teammates around issues of health and well-being. He worked over the past two years with Princeton's Vote100 campaign for civic engagement, leading the charge towards 100 percent voter registration and participation across campus and specifically among varsity programs at Princeton with initiatives driven through VSAAC. Ben is also a founder of J'Asians, an affinity group through the Center for Jewish Life for biracial Jewish students who identify as Asian.
During the pandemic, while Princeton was functioning via remote learning and Ivy League athletics were on pause, Ben took the opportunity to become a leader for Poll Hero, helping to generate more than 37,000 volunteers to staff voting locations around the country. During each of his undergraduate summers, Ben has put his skills to work for a variety of political campaigns and public interest offices, including the San Francisco District Attorney's office, a Manhattan communications consultancy, the Maine Democratic Party, the Office of Representative Tom Malinowski, and the Wilderness Society.
On the field, Bograd was part of two Ivy League championship teams during his Princeton career, playing in 58 career matches as a defender and logging over 2,200 minutes on the back line.
A student in Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs, Serena Starks is pursuing a certificate in Asian American Studies. Serena's passion for social justice and commitment to service has informed her academic pursuits, including a task force on misinformation and hate speech. A founding president of Asian Student-Athletes of Princeton (ASAP), Starks serves on the Executive Committee of Tigers Together, Princeton Athletics' leadership group focused on diversity, equity and inclusion where she worked alongside peers, coaches and administrators. A Student-Athlete Wellness Leader (SAWL), Starks serves as a resource for teammates in the areas of mental health and well-being. In addition, she serves on the Student-Athlete Service Council, which helps leads service initiatives across all of Princeton's varsity programs.
Extending her passion for service beyond Princeton, Serena is Co-President of the Princeton Disability Awareness Board, organizing a spring community carnival and other events to educate others about disabilities and access. Honoring her leadership in the community, Serena was selected for Service Focus, a yearlong opportunity to partner strategically with professors, non-profits, and student groups to increase service engagement in and around the campus. She is a member of the New Jersey Best Buddies chapter that serves those with special needs in Princeton. She is a student mentor in the Academic Success Today program, coordinating mentor-mentee match ups between Princeton students and local community school aged children.
A first-team All-Ivy selection in 2022, Starks was part of Princeton's Ivy League championship team last season, leading the team in hits and batting average.
More information about Athletes for a Better World, who administers this award, may be found at www.abw.org.
Twenty-six finalists have been announced for the 2023 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, including a pair of Princeton student-athletes in Ben Bograd (men's soccer) and Serena Starks (softball). The recipients -- one male and one female -- will be announced in early January and honored on April 27 at a ceremony held at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
A politics major pursuing certificates in history and the practice of diplomacy and American Studies, Ben Bograd serves as president of Princeton's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (VSAAC) and is on the Executive Committee with Princeton's Student-Athlete Wellness Leaders (SAWLs). With SAWLs, he has helped recruit and train over 50 student-athletes to provide resources and referrals to teammates around issues of health and well-being. He worked over the past two years with Princeton's Vote100 campaign for civic engagement, leading the charge towards 100 percent voter registration and participation across campus and specifically among varsity programs at Princeton with initiatives driven through VSAAC. Ben is also a founder of J'Asians, an affinity group through the Center for Jewish Life for biracial Jewish students who identify as Asian.
During the pandemic, while Princeton was functioning via remote learning and Ivy League athletics were on pause, Ben took the opportunity to become a leader for Poll Hero, helping to generate more than 37,000 volunteers to staff voting locations around the country. During each of his undergraduate summers, Ben has put his skills to work for a variety of political campaigns and public interest offices, including the San Francisco District Attorney's office, a Manhattan communications consultancy, the Maine Democratic Party, the Office of Representative Tom Malinowski, and the Wilderness Society.
On the field, Bograd was part of two Ivy League championship teams during his Princeton career, playing in 58 career matches as a defender and logging over 2,200 minutes on the back line.
A student in Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs, Serena Starks is pursuing a certificate in Asian American Studies. Serena's passion for social justice and commitment to service has informed her academic pursuits, including a task force on misinformation and hate speech. A founding president of Asian Student-Athletes of Princeton (ASAP), Starks serves on the Executive Committee of Tigers Together, Princeton Athletics' leadership group focused on diversity, equity and inclusion where she worked alongside peers, coaches and administrators. A Student-Athlete Wellness Leader (SAWL), Starks serves as a resource for teammates in the areas of mental health and well-being. In addition, she serves on the Student-Athlete Service Council, which helps leads service initiatives across all of Princeton's varsity programs.
Extending her passion for service beyond Princeton, Serena is Co-President of the Princeton Disability Awareness Board, organizing a spring community carnival and other events to educate others about disabilities and access. Honoring her leadership in the community, Serena was selected for Service Focus, a yearlong opportunity to partner strategically with professors, non-profits, and student groups to increase service engagement in and around the campus. She is a member of the New Jersey Best Buddies chapter that serves those with special needs in Princeton. She is a student mentor in the Academic Success Today program, coordinating mentor-mentee match ups between Princeton students and local community school aged children.
A first-team All-Ivy selection in 2022, Starks was part of Princeton's Ivy League championship team last season, leading the team in hits and batting average.
More information about Athletes for a Better World, who administers this award, may be found at www.abw.org.
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