West Africans in the UAA Series, Part 4: College Experiences
Nearly every West African UAA competitor who is part of the series found their West African identity strengthened by their college experience, though it happened in a myriad of ways.…
West Africans in the UAA Series, Part 3: Shaping Identity
West African student-athletes, past and present, in the University Athletic Association have had their identity shaped by their culture of origin in a multitude of ways. First Generation U.S. Born…
West Africans in the UAA Series, Part 2: Traditions and Food
Food and tradition play an important role in any strong culture. Whether they were born abroad or in the U.S., West Africans in the University Athletic Association have remained true…
West Africans in the UAA Series, Part 1: Academics
The University Athletic Association (UAA) was founded on the premise that academic and athletic excellence are not mutually exclusive, with the membership consisting of some of the strongest academic institutions…
West Africans in the UAA Series: Introduction
In November, the Institute of International Education (IIE) reported that the number of Nigerian students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities increased by 22 percent in 2022-23. Nigeria emerged as…
Jewish UAA Student-Athletes Share Traditions and Practices as Passover Approaches
As of 2020, there were 7.2 million people in the U.S. who identified as Jewish, second only to Israel worldwide. UAA Jewish student-athletes celebrate their identity and holidays like Passover,…
Fasting For Faith: UAA Student-Athletes Observe Ramadan
Four UAA student-athletes, including a trio from Case Western Reserve University, are among the approximately two billion Muslims worldwide currently observing Ramadan, a holy month of fasting based on when…
History of a UAA Signature Event: The Track & Field Black Student-Athlete Dinner
Case Western Reserve University hosted a Black student-athlete get-together at the 2022 UAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, the first such event of its kind in UAA history. What started…
UAA Black Student-Athlete History; Part 3: Full Slate and the Formation of UAA BLAC
With seven of the eight UAA schools running an active Black student-athlete group, NYU Senior Associate Athletic Director Janice Quinn reached out to men’s basketball rising junior Zay Freeney about…
UAA Black Student-Athlete History; Part 2: Starts and Stops
THE FIRST WAVE OF MOMENTUM“After talking to Eka (Jose) and Caira (Watson-Haynes) at WashU, Black athlete after Black athlete started reaching out to me to share similar experiences they had and asking how…