Christina Sorbara '01, assistant captain of the women's ice hockey team, is a finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award
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Aside from being a talented and dedicated Division I athlete on one of the most elite teams in the country, she is an exemplary citizen. She was recently named one of five finalists for the 2001 Hockey Humanitarian Award, which is given annually to "college hockey’s finest citizen."
The award, founded by the Boston-based Humanitarian Foundation, recognizes one college hockey player, male or female and from any division, who has made a difference to the team, the program, the school, and the community in which the player lives. The award, seen as complementary to the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, will be presented to the winner at the NCAA Frozen Four in Albany, N.Y, April 5-7.
Sorbara’s long list of activities and accomplishments merely reflects how she has been raised. "My mom and dad are involved with a lot of organizations and community service work," Sorbara said. "They were both an inspiration to me growing up and taught me to respect and help other people."
She does that, and more. Sorbara, a senior who is concentrating in business economics and international relations, began her community work in 1994 in her hometown of Toronto, when she joined her mom in distributing meals for the Meals on Wheels program. She also distributed food for the Daily Bread Food Bank, and then joined the volunteer staff at the Hospital for Sick Children. During the two summers before matriculating at Brown 1997, Sorbara helped initiate, and then directed, the Wheel Smart Spotter Program in conjunction with the Toronto Board of Health. This program enforced inline and cycle safety throughout the city parks.
After coming to Providence in 1997, she continued to get involved with a number of programs while balancing her academic and athletic workloads.
For Sorbara, the extraordinary amount of time she dedicates to different causes is natural. "I’m a busybody at school. I always have to be doing something. I finish one thing, whether it’s hockey practice or an assignment, and I want to be doing something else," Sorbara said. "I want to be involved in the community because there are so many people to meet and so many things to learn."
For four years, she and her ice hockey teammates have helped children at the Vartan Gregorian Elementary School at Fox Point improve their reading skills. At Brown, she is a teacher’s assistant in one course, tutors fellow students in microeconomics, teaches a Spinning class, and works for the Brown Journal of World Affairs as a business/circulation manager. This past year, she single-handedly organized an eight-hour charitable stationary bicycle ride for breast cancer research.
"Originally, I tried to organize a Rollerblade across Canada for cancer research, but it proved to be too big of a job for me, so I started something more local," said Sorbara. "It took me all summer to organize it, and I had Spinnfest 2000 this fall. I met with local businesses and worked with the American Cancer Society and the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations. I created the event in honor of my brother’s godmother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999."
In addition to her community work, Sorbara led the Brown women’s ice hockey team to Ivy, ECAC regular season, and ECAC tournament titles last season, as well as a second place national finish. She is third on the team in scoring with 7 goals and 11 assists.
Sorbara says her seemingly endless motivation comes from knowing what you want. "I feel like I’ve matured a lot in the past couple of years. I know myself better, and where I want to be. I think people should be helping all the time, even when the cause doesn’t directly affect them. I always want to make a difference and I don’t want to be a follower. I try to make a difference whenever I can."
Michelle Busby ’00 is an intern in the Sports Information Office