“I hope that I can provide those experiences for these girls at a younger age so they can become the best players that they can be, reach their full potential and have that same accessibility as their White counterparts.”
color could look up to and aspire to become.
“I really can’t put into words everything I got out of my experience at Yale,” Saroya said. “It was truly life- changing, and my time there will carry me for the rest of my days.” And a big part of her college experience at Yale was joining the Iota Chi chapter. Saroya went through recruitment in the first place to find a supportive community outside of hockey, particularly at a time when she felt like she was reaching a breaking point. “[The mindset of letting the racist comments go in one ear and out the other] definitely led me to a point of frustration in my career where I seriously considered quitting, especially when I was at Yale and already struggling with depression and anxiety,” Saroya recalled. While struggling with her own mental health, Saroya realized she wasn’t connecting very well with her fellow Bulldogs on the Yale women’s hockey team. This led her to Alpha Phi. Iota Chi was where she found the support she was missing. It was her home away from home. Keep in mind that Saroya was balancing a lot at this time in her young life — moving away from home and to a different country, being a full-time student athlete, being a minority member on campus and on the ice, all on top of joining the Fraternity. While that may seem like too much, Saroya recalled the relief she felt when she was able to spend time with her Alpha Phi sisters. “Going to chapter events and private events, doing homework together, living in the house on campus, it was an outlet for me to have fun, be comfortable and feel supported,” Saroya said. However, despite excelling on the ice and in the classroom, Saroya struggled during her senior year at Yale to the point where she considered quitting hockey all together. However, it took another incoming Black female hockey player to encourage Saroya stick around. “We had a coaching change that same year, and I realized I was going to have different opportunities with new coaches to build a different style of program than had been done up until then,” Saroya explained. “I also wanted to keep playing because I knew I needed to be a mentor for my new teammate. After spending time with her and getting to know her, it was clear that she would need me throughout her career at Yale, and I would need her to finish out my senior year.” Saroya became the relatable role model her teammate needed, that Saroya herself never had. Sure, she looked
up to Angela James, the “Wayne Gretzkey of women’s hockey,” who led the Canadian women’s hockey team to four world championships in the 1990s. But her career was over by the time Saroya was born. There are also Blake Bolden and Sarah Nurse — both Black professional hockey players — but they’re in the same age category as Saroya, and they play against each other. Along with Saroya, they are truly the first generation of players that young Black girls in hockey can look up to. And this is a role Saroya takes very seriously. The same year Saroya took her fellow Black teammate under her wing at Yale, her mother connected her with Renee Hess at the Black Girl Hockey Club (BGHC). Founded in 2018, the California-based nonprofit aims to create a community-oriented space for Black women in hockey where it can inspire and sustain their passion for the game throughout their lives. Like Saroya, BGHC proudly advocates for Black women in hockey through education, representation and community building. Philanthropy is a core value in the way Saroya lives her life, like it is for so many of her fellow Alpha Phis. Saroya
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