Knights Supporting Knights
Shared experiences help form bonds between Rutgers student-athletes
Hasim Phillips
10/27/2020
College campuses often become a home away from home for many students, and when you are thousands of miles away from your home country, that need to find comfort is magnified. For an international student, the adjustment to college can involve learning a new language, different cultures and navigating their academic pursuits, all while trying to make friends and fit in.
Born out of the need to create a community among international student-athletes was the Global Scarlet Knights program, which was started in 2018. In a time before the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shift to how social gatherings are conducted, these international students would routinely meet, share different foods from their native countries and bond over the experience of being a several-hour flight from home.
One of those international student-athletes who found fellowship in meeting other foreigners was Grace Lewis, a senior member of the rowing team and native of Cambridge, New Zealand. Lewis serves as VP for International Student Support on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
“The whole idea was to get internationals together who were a long way from home,” said Lewis. “We've been doing it for over a year now and it's been pretty successful. We have a nice network.”
Global Scarlet Knights presented a solution to a problem plaguing international student-athletes looking to make a connection, and it’s that need to find support that sparked an overarching program to address the needs other affinity groups. Enter Knights Supporting Knights, a three-pronged initiative geared to providing a community for student-athletes of color, the LGBTQ+ population and internationals.
“We thought, can we try and mirror this and expand the Knight Supporting Knights from internationals to all diversity and inclusion, which is what we're trying to do at the moment,” said Lewis.
“What I would love is that a freshman joins Rutgers or a recruit comes to Rutgers, and they know about our Knights Supporting Knights,” said Lewis. “And they feel genuinely welcomed and encouraged to go along, either as an ally, or someone identifying in one of these groups and feel like they have a community automatically. That would be the dream that we are so well established that people know and genuinely feel welcomed.”
Knights Supporting Knights is student-athlete driven with coaches and administrators serving in an advisory role. The direction of the group, its goals and growth to include additional affinity groups are outlined by SAAC.
“We take off our hats as coaches and give our support to the student leaders who step up,” said head women’s golf coach Kari Williams.
Williams, who along with women’s lacrosse head coach Melissa Lehman advises LGBTQ+ student-athletes, became involved after conversations with the department’s Director for Student-Athlete Wellness, Outreach and Inclusion, Jackie Kelly. Harkening back to her own experiences as a student-athlete, Williams is passionate about the need to support those navigating a world that at times can be daunting.
“In meeting with Jackie we talked about the need for a space and an opportunity for LGBTQ student-athletes and their allies to meet and talk,” said Williams. “Provide a place for them to grow and learn.
“With my own experience and how much that would have helped my own growth while I was a student-athlete, I felt very passionate about making sure that there is that space. For the diversity that is Rutgers, it’s important for us to be able to celebrate it and educate other people about it and in ourselves, get educated.”
Creating allies is imperative for all three affinity groups as the Knights Supporting Knights program moves forward. Finding common ground and educating those around you allows for greater understanding and stronger support.
For Maya Jacobs, a senior of the tennis team, Knights Supporting Knights offers an opportunity for student-athletes to comfortably share their experiences and learn the perspectives of others around them. That chance to educate the community and create a sense of empathy is something she hopes will be the start creating a world of understanding.
Recent events of racial and social unrest have left many people of color feeling vulnerable and having a group that allows for minorities to talk about what they are going through is a great asset to the college experience.
“I think a lot of issues come from people just not knowing,” said Jacobs. “I think ignorance is where issues begin. So, if we make people aware of what's going on. I think that's where you can start to see change and you can start to see people behaving differently or having a change of heart.
“I think it's really important that we celebrate all the different types of people that we have in our athletic community because being at Rutgers we do see all these different people coming from different parts of the world and we want to celebrate them and make sure that they feel recognized.”
As the Knights Supporting Knights program continues to establish itself as a resource to current and future student-athletes, the goal for all three groups run parallel. Create an environment and community that all Scarlet Knights feel supported, welcomed and at home at Rutgers.
“What I would love is that a freshman joins Rutgers or a recruit comes to Rutgers, and they know about our Knights Supporting Knights,” said Lewis. “And they feel genuinely welcomed and encouraged to go along, either as an ally, or someone identifying in one of these groups and feel like they have a community automatically. That would be the dream that we are so well established that people know and genuinely feel welcomed.”
