Even at a small school such as Colgate, there can still be a disconnect between the student-athlete population and the general student population. This becomes even more apparent when looking at our student-athletes of color.

This session will provide the opportunity for participants to learn more about the experience of some of our Colgate student-athletes of color. We hope to  bridge an existing gap while exploring ways collegiate and professional athletics can play a part in social justice work.

Presenter Biographies are as follows:

Ja-lon Perkins class of 2024 is a junior from Allentown, Pennsylvania and is currently declared as an Education major, a field in which he hopes to pursue his master's degree as well as intending to declare a second major in African American studies. Outside of the classroom he is a member of the Colgate football team and am involved in the betterment of the black student experience through groups such as ROCC and MCSN (school-wide and football specific). Ja-lon plans to use his experience in my majors to enter the job field in Diversity training for teachers, specifically instructing them on how to be better instructors/leaders for minority students.

Noha Shahba class of 2024 is from Fort Collins, Colorado Noha is double majoring in Neuroscience and Women’s Studies and want to become a Physician Assistant specializing in addiction and women’s health after graduating from Colgate. She is part of the Benton Scholars program and the First Generation Program at Colgate. She is on the Women’s Rowing team and is a career ambassador for the team. She is also an intern in the center for Women’s Studies at Colgate, a research assistant in the Neuroscience department, and a volunteer EMT with Madison Ambulance. She is passionate about intersectional activism specifically in the institutional inadequacies of healthcare and the health disparities caused by them.

A complete list of our social justice summit workshops can be found on our website.