By Mercy Ogutu
Trinity Times Correspondent

In 2023, a historic year unfolded for women’s empowerment in collegiate sports and Trinity Washington University’s Athletic Director Christa Burgess marked the significance of the era to inspire students to bring the stimulation of the game into their educational journey. 

As Burgess heads into her second year as her alma mater’s athletic director, the 2013 Trinity graduate understands the significance of commemorating the 50^th anniversaries of both Title IX and the establishment of the NCAA Division III and knows the journey for progress in women’s collegiate sports persists. 

Title IX is a U.S. federal law passed in the 1970s that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities, including sports, and has been instrumental in promoting gender equity in educational institutions, particularly in the context of providing equal opportunities for male and female athletes.

Established in 1973, the NCAA Division III is a level of competition within the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the U.S. Division III schools are typically smaller institutions that prioritize the overall college experience of student athletes. 

Unlike Division I and Division II, Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships, and student-athletes are encouraged to participate in a variety of activities, both athletic and non-athletic. The focus is on a well-rounded education and the integration of athletics into the broader college experience.

“When I joined soccer, the members of the team were kind and friendly, which made me feel comfortable adjusting in,” said Alexandra Bernier, a Trinity junior global affairs major, reflecting on her journey as a new soccer player in the fall 2023 season. 

The Trinity coaches were “incredibly kind and helpful in making me and the members feel at ease with learning soccer, despite being a newbie,” Bernier said. “By providing us with fresh access to opportunities to increase our level of engagement in life, sports like soccer are very empowering.”

For 125 years Trinity has educated women to be leaders of their era and envision change for tomorrow, a mission that the former student-athlete Burgess embodies and maintains her time on the Trinity athletic fields prepared her for the future.

From scoring goals on the soccer field, to running with her lacrosse teammates and shooting hoops on the basketball court, the love for sports was more than game for her. 

Burgess realized it was the small moments that made life big. 

Being part of a collegiate sport is a unique journey for students to connect with each other and allows teammates to discover that college is more than attaining a degree; it is also about the impact people will make before and after they graduate, she said.

Every accomplishment begins with the decision to try, Burgess said, adding that in life people need two things, roots, and wings. The roots to stay grounded and the wings to fly. 

College sports was a calling for Burgess to help empower her community, embrace her passion for athletics, and make a difference in people’s lives. 

From the encouragement of her father to follow her dreams and continue to strive for bigger goals, she earned her bachelor’s in exercise science from Trinity and then received a master’s in elementary education from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, later working as a health and physical education teacher, and an athletic director in the District of Columbia Public Schools. 

Burgess joined Trinity’s athletics staff in 2021 and was named athletic director in January 2023.

“When Christa returned to Trinity, she quickly put all these experiences together to focus on supporting and engaging our student athletes,” Trinity President Patricia McGuire said when announcing Burgess’s appointment as athletic director. “She has made significant contributions to our program, including strength and conditioning with our athletes. As Christa steps into the role of athletic director, she will continue to focus on athlete development, and will take on coaching our newest sport, lacrosse, this spring.”

Burgess did a relaunch of lacrosse at Trinity with the university’s first game last March in the sport after about a decade absence and is increasing student athlete performance, demonstrating the importance of working hard to realize one’s dreams. 

She recalls her Trinity coaches as uplifting, always reminding her to never let fear limit her success. 

“We all have what it takes to reach our goals,” Burgess told Trinity Times. “The journey may be hard, but hard does not mean impossible.” 

Though the newly relaunched Trinity Tigers lacrosse team struggled in its first season of competition, she said the university was welcomed with open arms from the NCAA Division III community. 

Cuaresma Gillard, a Trinity junior global affairs major, was excited to be part of the relaunched lacrosse team and relished in the unique journey of learning the sport with her teammates. 

“I would say it built a bond between myself and my teammates,” Gillard said. 

For most of the members of the team, it was their first experience playing the sport, and though the season didn’t produce any wins, it did yield sportsmanship, teamwork, and endurance, brining everyone a sense of success, she said.

“Seeing our growth through the season and how much we bonded,” Gillard said, “really made the season so much more memorable.”

As a former student athlete, Burgess hopes to encourage other women to see themselves in athletic director positions, noting that leadership comes from inspiration. 

It’s essential for all student athletes to be inspired and educated in the skills they will need to be successful on and off the field, she said.Life is a game of unexpected curveballs, Burgess said, but it is important to trust the process and the journey.