At La Salle University, North Penn High School graduate Paige Mitchell is building community both as the captain of the water polo team and founder of the Olney Outlaws, writes Conor Smith for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The senior is also advocating for changes on behalf of student-athletes as president of the La Salle Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
La Salle’s Olney Outlaws student section hosts themed nights for each home basketball game and attends a variety of other sporting events across campus.
“We started [the Outlaws] because we found that a lot of students weren’t necessarily coming out to games,” said Mitchell. “So we were trying to find a way to encourage everyone to come out. … It’s grown ever since.”
Mitchell learned the power of community support when her North Penn water polo teammates shaved the same spot on their heads that her Chiari malformation-related surgery required, dubbing themselves “Purple for Paige” and painted purple ribbons where their hair had been.
“Our community is really close, and I think that’s something that’s common with water polo,” said Mitchell.
Read more about North Penn alum, Paige Mitchell, in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
