Princeton University Athletics
Tigers Together Journey to Athletics: A Summer of Curiosity and Connection
August 29, 2025 | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
This summer marked the third year of Tigers Together Journey to Athletics, an initiative that has grown through intentional collaboration and a deep commitment to curiosity. From the beginning, I envisioned this work as more than an initiative. It was never meant to be a checklist; it was meant to be a journey, a journey where students and leaders could discover how curiosity shapes identity and expands perspective. What makes Tigers Together Journey to Athletics impactful is not only what students discover, but what we, as administrators and community partners, uncover in ourselves. As students raise their questions sometimes haltingly, sometimes with boldness, we are reminded that leadership begins in listening, reflection, and the courage to remain open.
Camp Compass
The summer began with students from Camp Compass in Philadelphia. Their day focused on an opportunity to engage in STEM activities guided by Princeton's Science Outreach undergraduates Rishika Porandla ’28 (Astrophysics) and Anna Buretta ’27 (Neuroscience), who connected STEM to curiosity in ways that showed how inquiry crosses disciplines.
They toured the H.G. Levine Broadcast Center, where Cody Chrusciel talked about how technology and storytelling merge to shape the student-athlete experience. They met with members of our business staff (Tiffany Semanchick and Katie Lytle) and administrators (Maggie Peters, Macall Martin, Melissa Stephens, Brendan Van Ackeren, and Ieisha Jackson) who shared their own paths into athletics. During the visit, students also met with Shariq Marshall, Development & Community Engagement Coordinator, who shared his journey and the importance of building meaningful connections between Princeton Athletics and the communities we serve.
My thoughts gathered into a realization: the memory of the day lived not only in the tours and conversations, but in the quiet electricity of being together in shared space. Students leaned across tables, laughter mixing with questions, the kind of ordinary exchange that carries extraordinary weight. Curiosity moved like a breath, at times fragile, at times insistent, binding strangers into community. What the students didn't realize then was that the measure of the day was not in what was taught or shown, but in what was discovered together: that each question holds the power to connect us, and each moment of listening is a chance to remember.
Foundation Academy
Our next visit brought Foundations Academy from Trenton. Their day began with Ford Family Director of Athletics John Mack, whose story of navigating careers and continuously growing in leadership encouraged students to see leadership not as a position or title, but as a practice rooted in vision and commitment.
The students also heard from Ieishia Jackson, Maria Lauron-Ramos, and Julian Pangilinan. Each shared personal insights on their professional journeys, reflecting on how leadership, challenges, and experiences shaped not only their careers but also their identities. Through their stories, students saw how growth, transformation, and passion in athletics can profoundly influence who we become both professionally and personally. They then toured the H.G. Levine Broadcast Center, where Mike Galayda talked about his journey to athletics and the path he took along the way, while also describing the many roles that go into the work behind the scenes for multimedia and production.
Then came a moment of connection: Richmond Aririguzoh ’20, a Princeton alumnus and Trenton native, returned to share his story. His words carried both resilience and humility, grounded in lived experience. As he spoke of family, sacrifice, and the discipline required to pursue goals despite obstacles, he also saw something familiar in the students, a smaller version of himself, a young person from Trenton with a belief in something greater. There was an invisible spark in the room, a pulse of excitement and possibility, the kind that comes when someone recognizes their own past reflected in another’s present. In that exchange, Richmond’s story became a newfound process for learning; it became a mirror, reflecting the shape of possibility, the shape of identity yet to be claimed. In that room, something shifted quietly but unmistakably. Identity is something we discover, nurture, and inhabit through persistence, reflection, and connection.
Lewis Leaders
Our final group, Lewis Leaders, engaged in conversations with Senior Administrators Kellie Staples and Karen Malec, whose leadership offered clear examples of the many ways influence can take shape. Seeing women in leadership roles broadened students’ understanding of who leads and showed that transformational leadership is expressed through perspective, relationship, and dedication to making a difference.
They toured the H.G. Levine Broadcast Center and then engaged with communications staff Chas Dorman, Andrew Borders, and Alexandra Henn, whose work behind the scenes was highlighted by their personal paths that brought them to Princeton Athletics. They emphasized how relationships, consistent effort, and navigating adversity shape both their professional impact and the experiences of student-athletes.
The day further connected students to Drew Miller, Princeton Assistant Director for Creative Content, and community partner, Juliana Collazo of RISE, a national nonprofit using sports to advance racial equity and social justice. Both Drew and Juliana are from Somerset County, with Juliana specifically from Franklin Township. She started a conversation with students as she asked about teachers and experiences from their own elementary and middle schools. During this time, you can see the excitement on Juliana's face by hearing stories about students who are now in the same schools that she once walked through. This recognition of shared similarity created an immediate sense of connection. I sensed that Juliana saw a reflection of her younger self in these students, while they, in turn, saw a glimpse of themselves in her. In these conversations, pathways emerged, showing how local bonds can grow into enduring networks, provide guidance, and open doors to possibilities previously unimagined.
Curiosity as the Thread
In the Zanfrini Room, where we often gathered, the space held us all - students, presenters. I noticed how listening carried weight equal to speaking. Questions from the students sat still in the air, hesitant, heavy, sometimes trembling not from wrongdoing, but because asking was not yet a familiar act, and so fear settled in, small and insistent. At first, their weight pressed close, anchored in the unknown. Yet when we listened, not to answer but to carry the students’ questions with them, the room shifted. What once felt like a barrier became their own step into self-confidence, and the students began to hear their own voices whisper internally, claiming space within themselves. They learned that asking is a strength, that standing with uncertainty is part of growing.
And in that quiet, careful listening, small seeds were planted into new soil. The students began to see athletics and leadership not as set paths for how to become “pro”, but as fields of possibility, places where their voices, long muted by doubt, could rise clear and certain. And those of us guiding them were reminded: transformation does not begin with answers, but with the courage to be seen and heard.
Closing Reflection
As we close the third summer of the Tigers Together Journey to Athletics, I am certain of why this work matters. It is not merely about bringing students to campus, nor only about exposure to Princeton Athletics. It is about creating a space where young people can explore athletics as a canvas for leadership, painting their own identities and perspectives through the act of self-discovery shaped by persistence, not perfection. This process leans into questions together, daring to wonder, and holding a mirror to ourselves, reminding us that cultivating inclusive excellence lives not just in the lessons we teach, but in the courage to ask, to listen, and to learn alongside one another.
This summer has reminded me, as it has so many times before, that when this flame of inquiry is stoked through education, engagement, and empowerment, it transforms. Not only students. Not only programs. But the ways we see ourselves, the identities we inhabit, and the communities we hold. To witness it is to understand that discovery is never solitary; it is a shared journey, a collective awakening, and a responsibility we carry together.