COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Mount Holyoke College sophomore Tamara Mukulu has become the second student-athlete this year to be selected to the United States Olympic Committee's Finding Leaders Among Minorities Everywhere (FLAME) program.
The USOC's FLAME program provides diverse college and graduate-level students with a unique look into the world of elite sport.
"Getting the opportunity to work with the United States Olympic Committee is out of this world!" exclaimed Mukulu. "As a proud representative of Mount Holyoke College, I am very excited to embark on this rare experience and meet other people who have a similar interest in the Sport industry. I also look forward to gaining more insight into diversity and inclusion topics surrounding the world of athletics."
Mukulu becomes the second Mount Holyoke student-athlete to ever be accepted into the FLAME program, following senior basketball captain Zahkeyah Allen who was selected earlier this month. A member of the Lyons swimming & diving team, along with the outdoor track & field team, Mukulu has a self-designed major in sports business studies.
Accepted students into the eight-day FLAME program engage in a rigorous curriculum designed to increase knowledge of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movements as well as participate in personal and professional development workshops. It is an intersectional program that encourages students of color of all sexual orientations, abilities, genders and gender identities, and income levels to apply.
Throughout the program, students meet and network with USOC executives as well as learn about goal setting, leadership and self-motivation from U.S. Olympians and Paralympians. Students also engage in workshops on race, class, ability, gender and sexual orientation to foster inclusive, high-performing sport environments.
The 2019 FLAME program runs from May 27 through June 3 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Mukulu, who hails from Nairobi, Kenya, had a solid second year on the Lyons swimming & diving team. In addition to a number of individual freestyle victories, she was also a member of a number of top relays throughout the squad's schedule. Among her best efforts came in a 156-143 win over rival Smith as she won the 50- and 100-freestyle events, while also helping the 200-medley relay to victory. Through four meets in outdoor track & field, Mukulu has recorded several personal-best marks, while also earning a fifth-place finish in the 400-meter dash at the Amherst Spring Fling.
