Award Recognition
Health and Wellness
After transferring to Columbia sophomore year, Sophie Madjarova walked onto the Division I Women's Rowing team with no prior experience in the sport. Ultimately, her competency and leadership on the team resulted in her being elected captain. She continues to organize virtual events for her teammates' physical and mental wellbeing. Furthermore, Sophie has played an enormous role in helping to establish the Columbia/Barnard chapter of Athlete Ally on campus - Athlete Ally is an organization that aims to create inclusive communities on sports teams, specifically for LGBTQ+ athletes. In addition to her involvement with Athlete Ally, Sophie works as a student liaison for GHAP on campus, where she listens to and educates clients in one-on-one sessions, orders HIV tests, and acts to best connect clients to resources available through Columbia Health and in NYC.
To my family and friends, thank you for believing in me and sharing the journey with me. To Kate Miller, thank you for being an incredible faculty advisor for Athlete Ally and a great source of support for me during my time at Columbia. To our incredible leader Daniel Chiarilli at GHAP and all my fellow advocates, thank you for the incredible work and advocacy you provide for our community. To my coaches, Emerson Curry and Sam Warren, thank you for giving me the gift of rowing. And last, but never least, thank you to my teammates for serving as my inspiration every single day. I am grateful to have been a part of and contributed to the efforts of all of these incredible communities, and I am honored to receive this award.