OUR TIME TO SHINE
Equity , diversity , inclusion and creating a sense of belonging , to me , is the most rewarding and important part of what I do . It means that everybody feels that they ’ re welcome on campus .
Rise Up : The COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges to Triton athletes during the first year of Division I competition .
You have served as the Big West committee chair for equity , diversity and inclusion and have initiated several programs for the Athletics staff and scholar-athletes . What does this work mean to you , and what kind of environment are you trying to foster at UC San Diego ? Equity , diversity , inclusion and creating a sense of belonging , to me , is the most rewarding and important part of what I do . It means that everybody feels that they ’ re welcome on campus . This is our campus . One of the advantages of being an athlete is that you have a natural cohort that creates a team . You feel like you belong here because of the connections — and everyone on campus is welcome to be a part of it .
How do sports at UC San Diego fit into Chancellor Khosla ’ s Destination UC San Diego initiative ? Our sports run from the early fall through the end of spring — we are one of the destination sites for the San Diego community to enjoy on a yearlong basis . And with facilities such as LionTree Arena ( formerly RIMAC Arena ) for sports such as basketball , volleyball and fencing , it signals to everyone that Athletics is in this Division I game for real . We ’ re going to be big players in the game , and we have a significant economic and entertainment impact on the greater San Diego community .
What do athletics do for UC San Diego ? I want people to think about athletics as more than games and competition . Why ?
For the 600 or so athletes that are part of our program , athletics is the laboratory for personal development for those individuals — things such as time management , setting goals , working hard , being part of a team and learning how to deal with victory , defeat and adversity . And that ’ s just through the sports competition side .
We also work with athletes in terms of leadership skills . We work on mental skills and development to make our athletes as strong as they can be in that area . We work on career development . And beyond that , we ’ re probably the only university staff that are engaged with our students on a regular basis for a two- to five-year period . It ’ s not transactional , it ’ s not based on academic quarter — it ’ s a very different engagement of students on campus .
Tell me about our student fans . Before we became Division I , we might have had 100 or 150 students attend games from the Triton Tide , student supporters of Athletics . Now we have thousands of students who are part of that group , and we are seeing tremendous support at athletic events . I ’ m so happy about that .
I really feel that athletics creates a healthy balance to the academic rigors that we have here at UC San Diego — for our scholar-athletes and our students across the whole campus . When you have that balance , you will actually be more successful from an academic standpoint . Bringing a social element to the student experience brings a big smile to my face . •
UC SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE 23