Ella Sage

Meet Ella

School: Boston University Class of 2027

Major: Advertising

Extracurriculars:

Penn Charter Field Hockey

Penn Charter’s Wednesday Weekly Co-producer & Editor

Penn Charter Admissions Clerk & Video Editor

I decided to work at LLB because:

I learned about Live Like Blaine through Penn Charter faculty who taught Blaine and thought it would be a great fit for my senior project. After doing more research into the Foundation, I reached out to Jill to see if I could work here for my project. After speaking to her on Zoom and hearing more about LLB’s work, mission, and effect on girls, I was inspired by the hard work, passion, and dedication that goes into each program at LLB. I was so excited to be able to continue working at LLB during the summer and see and be a part of more of the amazing work they do!

What does being a leader mean to you?

Being a leader is about being a positive presence for your teammates and the people around you, whether that’s screaming for them on the field or being a helping hand when someone needs it. Being a leader is also listening to those around you and learning from your peers!

Ella’s favorite experience at LLB was:

My favorite part about working at LLB was definitely the Leaders are Made program at the Harlem Lacrosse Summer Camp. I already knew a few of the girls from JFSLA camp but was able to connect with so many girls throughout the four weeks. It was so amazing seeing them grow as leaders! I also loved participating in some of the activities!

Meet Robyn

School: Princeton University Class of ’24 -> Field Hockey Team

Major: Political Science

I decided to work at LLB because:

Having competed in various sports my whole life, I am grateful for the impact that they have had on my own growth and confidence, and I am conscious of the similar effect that they often have on other young girls. I sincerely believe that we, as girls, do not need to be given a voice; we have a voice, and we just need to be empowered to use it. The work of the Live Like Blaine Foundation has and continues to support many girls from a variety of backgrounds in their journey to becoming confident young leaders, and I am extremely excited and grateful to be able to contribute to the foundation and it’s mission.

What does being a leader mean to you?

To me, being a leader means more than just holding a position of authority; it involves inspiring and guiding others toward a common goal. True leaders exhibit empathy, communication skills, and a vision that motivates their team. They lead by example, fostering a level of trust and respect amongst their peers. A leader is accountable, taking responsibility for the actions of themselves and others. Most importantly, a leader empowers others and encourages growth and, as a result, leaves a positive impact on the people and the organization they lead.

Robyn’s Favorite Experience at LLB was:

My favourite part of working for LLB so far has been connecting with so many young girls throughout their application process for the Leadership Academy. It has been so rewarding for me to learn about the unique and individual experiences of the applicants, all from various backgrounds and all with different attributes that they bring to the table.

For the past four weeks, we have been instilling leadership principles through our “Leaders are Made” program at the Harlem Lacrosse Summer Academy. Each day focused on a different LLB value consisting of interactive activities like mindfulness, relay races, and even creating your own brand! Our coaches started each day with a different mindfulness breathing activity and journaling prompt. Some prompts the girls had to answer were:
– What is something you experienced today that made you happy?
– What are some characteristics of a good teammate?
– Where is a place you feel the most calm?

From active listening exercises to an exciting game of “taboo” the girls expanded their communication skills in interactive games, exercises, and discussions. They strengthened their team-building skills for on and off-the-field teamwork. The human alphabet and relay races were the girls’ favorites. Two days of our programming were dedicated to learning about energy fuel tanks. First, they learned to understand when their energy tanks felt full/empty and how to handle those situations. They also illustrated their own fuel tanks which represented that day’s energy levels.

Curious to see more from Leaders Are Made? Check out this short video about the program!

Meet Jordyn

School: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Class of ’26

Major: Data Science

Extracurriculars:

Food writer for The Dish publication

Member of Women in Business Technology Club

Intramural soccer player

I decided to work at LLB because:

During my sophomore year of high school, I had the opportunity to attend a Live Like Blaine Captain’s Practice. The experience was amazing and very impactful, which made me eager to get involved in the Foundation. Moreover, the ability to combine my interest in sports while also making an impact on the lives of young female athletes was an opportunity I could not pass on.

What does being a leader mean to you?

If I had to describe what leadership means to me, it would be the ability to advocate for others and lead by example with a positive attitude.

Jordyn’s favorite experience at LLB was:

The JFSLA send-off dinner. I had the ability to connect with many young girls, which was very rewarding for me.

Meet Margaux

School: Cornell University, Class of ’25

Major: Communication with a minor in business.

Extracurriculars:

Vice President of Brotherhood for a professional entrepreneurship fraternity, Epsilaun Nau Tau

Big Red Buddies, a volunteer organization at local elementary schools to foster a fun learning environment and teach sports to elementary school kids monthly

Cornell mentoring program connecting students with alumni and creating a community for post-grad students

I decided to work at LLB because:

Being a student-athlete at Cornell and competing in soccer and track since I was five years old, I understand that sports instilled confidence in me that I would not have received without playing them. I wanted to help do the same thing for young girls who were in the same position as me and have an even better experience, and I knew Live Live Blaine could help me achieve that. Furthermore, Blaine passed nine years ago due to a rare heart anomaly. Last summer one of my best friends from high school passed from the same thing unexpectedly. When I heard about Blaine’s story I knew it was something that I wanted to be a part of and help keep her spirit alive in spite of this horrifying outcome.

What does being a leader mean to you?

Being a leader is not about what you do one time in front of everyone, but it is about the slow, long, and hard work that you put in time and time again. It is exhibiting discipline, consistency, and hard work to yourself before everyone else. It’s about the extra training you do on your off days. It’s about recovery and ice baths, and seeing the trainers even when you’re healthy. It’s about checking in on all your teammates even when you butt heads and never letting them give up on themselves.

Margaux’s favorite experience at LLB was:

Our Welcome Dinner for the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy. After a couple of long weeks of getting all the girls organized and ready to attend, it was so rewarding to put faces to names. We got to play some games with them and chat about their expectations for the camp. It was reassuring to know that the girls would not be alone at camp now; they would know not 1, but 15 familiar faces as they attended this intensive training camp!

Hi! My name is Ella Sage, I recently graduated from Penn Charter where I was a member of the varsity field hockey team and a producer of our weekly news show. To culminate one’s time at Penn Charter, each senior must complete a comprehensive project where they intern at a place of their choosing. When picking my project, I was aware that I wanted social media marketing as an aspect of my internship, but I also wanted to do something that made a difference. Blaine had attended Penn Charter and therefore we shared a lot of the same faculty members. When a teacher of mine mentioned Live Like Blaine, I immediately looked into the organization and quickly realized it was the perfect match. Not only would I be exposed to various social media marketing and video editing projects, but I would gain significant insight into working for a nonprofit organization.

At Live Like Blaine, I was tasked with working on social media promotions and engagement, and video creation and planning. While I enjoyed the social media work, I am most proud of the Coaches’ panel I held at Penn Charter in late May. I wanted to draw attention to gender equity in athletics in association with LLB’s work in leadership. I held a panel with four PC Girls Athletics Coaches to discuss leadership and gender equity in girls’ athletics. Through this panel, I was able to start an important conversation about gender equity in PC athletics, which I had always wanted to do!

The most important thing that I did not expect to learn during my time at Live Like Blaine happened to be about leadership. After hearing about girls’ experiences who had been a part of Live Like Blaine’s Leadership Academy, how they defined leadership caused me to realize that leaders can come in many different forms. Leaders are not always the loudest people or the best athletes, but the people who embody traits such as positivity and determination.

We held our opening dinner for the 15 LLB scholarship recipients who will be attending the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy camp! The 15 girls are determined and positive basketball and lacrosse athletes from the Philadelphia area. At the dinner, they shared their excitement about camp and being able to learn new skills in their sports as well as leadership and community-building skills! We welcomed the girls with icebreakers and shared many laughs and smiles as we all got to know each other better.

Learn more about our summer scholarships!

Check out some pictures from the night!