Four Wesleyan women athletes were selected to speak at a question-and-answer session organized by the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation (ESYHF) in Philadelphia over winter break: Emily Avener ’09 (ice hockey co-captain), Talia Bernstein ’11 (softball), Meredith Lowe ’09 (basketball co-captain), and Molly O’Connell (field hockey and softball co-captain). They were joined by two other women athletes, one of whom was Nora Miller, a member of the class of 2010 at Stanford and the daughter of Wesleyan diving coach and Associate Director of Facilities Management Jeff Miller. The event was held during the weekend of March 7. The athletes spoke to a group of underprivileged girls about the importance of staying in school and pursuing higher education.

ESYHF is a non-profit organization founded by Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider. According to the event press release, its goal was “to use the sport of hockey to educate young people on how to succeed in the game of life.” It also notes, “ESYHF provides after-school hockey, life skills, and educational programming, at no cost, to the most disadvantaged communities in the Greater Philadelphia region.”

According to the press release, “the women selected were invited to speak not only as successful athletes and leaders in their respective sports, but also because of their hard work and determination in the academic and extracurricular spheres.” Caitlin Slattery ’06, an ESYHF employee, helped arrange the opportunity for Wesleyan’s athletes to participate.