For the first time in nearly 18 months, Princeton student-athletes had the opportunity to visit local elementary schools as part of the Princeton Varsity Club’s long-standing “Reading with the Tigers” program. Nearly 30 student-athletes – representing basketball, fencing, golf, lacrosse, rowing, squash, soccer, swimming & diving, water polo and wrestling – visited Community Park and Johnson Park elementary schools of the Princeton Public School District the morning of Friday, October 15th.
Click here for a photo gallery from October 15th’s Reading with the Tigers.
The reading events occurred outdoors, with Tiger student-athletes reading stories and sharing lessons and experiences from their respective sports and studies to elementary students across 10 different classrooms. One classroom reading even occurred in Spanish, a nod to the dual-immersion program in place at the school. While this marked the first in-person Reading with the Tigers event since March 2020, Princeton student-athletes had conducted several taped eReadings throughout the Pandemic to continue connecting with elementary students and furthering Princeton Athletics’ mission of Education Through Athletics.
“After almost two years of not being able to do Reading with the Tigers due to the pandemic, it was so great to be back and made me realize just how much I missed it! Reading with the Tigers is one of my all-time favorite experiences and it brought me so much joy to be able to interact and connect with the elementary school students once again. Being in the presence of their high spirits and infectious energy kept a huge smile glued to my face and seriously made my entire morning, and put me in such a good mood for the rest of the day. I am ever so grateful for the opportunity!”
– MINDY PANG ’24 (women’s water polo)
“One of things that being an older brother to eight siblings has taught me is that you never know when you can say or do something that can have a profound impact on the little ones around you – it may seem mundane to you, but to that child it could mean the world. Any opportunity that I have to be that positive influence on the children at these schools is an opportunity that I will always drop everything for.”
– DANNY COLES ’25 (wrestling)
