As the fall rolls around every year, I unconsciously prepare a blanket statement for the overly enthusiastic, ever-so recurring question that everybody loves, “How was your summer?!” And more often than not my replies consist of something along the lines of the in-depth, thought-provoking, leaving-the-reader-wanting-more response: “It was good.”

Every student that attends Princeton has their, "Welcome to Princeton" moment at some point or another. For some, it comes in the middle of freshmen year when you are figuring out how to finish your freshmen seminar papers, problem sets and upcoming midterms. For others, it happens when you are sitting in class and realize the kid next to you has his own non-profit organization that works to provide people in Africa with clean water. But for me, this moment came much earlier, before I was even an actual student at the University.

My days of playing field hockey at Cornell have ended, but I know that in my heart I will always be a Cornell field hockey player. One thing that is evident to myself and all my teammates is that our alumni never truly leave our program. They continue to support us both on and off the field as a part of our expansive Big Red field hockey family. Because of their involvement, I feel a true connection with women who played field hockey at Cornell before I was even born.

During my freshman year competing at the Ivy League Championships for the Columbia Lion's Fencing Team, my mother (as mother's are prone to do) made me realize something about myself I had only vaguely considered.

I was the one of the few black male faces in the room.

This is going to be painful. My hands are clammy and breath short. One thing is clear- I'm not
over it. I don't know if I ever will be.

Everyone wants to make a difference in this world whether big or small. But how can we do it? As college athletes, we are no strangers to the media. From newspaper articles to post-game interviews, we are constantly in the public's eye. Our team wanted to use this to our advantage and that's when Brynn came into the picture.