When California women's volleyball setter
Paige Morningstar was growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she was quickly thrust into the world of sports.
Over the years, she always found herself competing in something, whether she was expanding her skill sets by playing softball and soccer or winning five state championships in volleyball and basketball during her four years at North Allegheny Senior High School. She continues to utilize her competitive edge now at Cal, posting six single-match career highs during the 2023 season.
More recently, though, Morningstar has been making time to focus on another passion – contributing to her community.
"It feels really good to give back. You get to learn so much about the community and things around you that aren't just part of the student body," Morningstar said. "I worked a lot with the
Cameron Institute in the fall, finding new places, getting in contact with new people, and doing a lot of volunteering. I've definitely enjoyed it, so now I just want to keep doing it."
Since getting involved with the Cameron Institute - Cal Athletics' world-class program for student-athlete development - Morningstar has contributed to a wide range of causes. Working with the Bay Area Rescue Mission last year, she helped prep and serve food to the Richmond community. She has also spent a lot of time working with young people, participating in arts and crafts activities at the Berkeley West Branch library, making multiple visits to Sylvia Mendez Elementary School in Berkeley to encourage being active and engagement in physical activities, and holding a volleyball clinic with her teammates last summer to teach young girls about the journey to becoming a collegiate athlete.
Morningstar's involvement eventually landed her on the committee for the Cameron Institute's National Girls & Women in Sports Day field day project,
"Go Girls*, Go Bears, Go Play!" taking place this Sunday at Edwards Stadium. The event will offer local young people the opportunity to learn directly from Cal student-athletes and local community-based organizations about a variety of sports, aimed at creating awareness of sport gender equity and the benefits of sport participation.
Over the past few months, Morningstar and her fellow Golden Bears on the event's committee – including teammates
Peyton DeJardin and
Sophia Johnson, members from the Cal women's lacrosse, soccer, rowing, softball, and basketball teams, and Cal Athletics support staffers – have worked hard to involve Cal's numerous athletic programs, looking to provide as many different stations for local elementary and middle school-aged children to play and learn different sports. Other stations will teach lessons about various aspects of athletic performance, including nutrition and women's health in sports.
Following the two-hour event, attendees will all enjoy the Cal women's basketball game against USC at Haas Pavilion. After the game, participants will also hear from current and former WNBA players and industry professionals in a moderated panel discussion.
"I didn't have anything like this growing up, so that was a huge reason I wanted to be a part of it even more," Morningstar said. "It's super beneficial for young people to be involved. They get to meet new people in the community, try out multiple different sports, and experience them at the college level."
Much of Morningstar's great interest in the project can be attributed to her reflections on her own journey and the people who helped her get to where she is today.
Under the tutelage of their father, Darren – a 1992 NBA draft selection of the Boston Celtics – Paige and her older sisters, Meg and Piper, would all eventually compete at the collegiate level. Meg was a four-year volleyball starter at Notre Dame, while Piper played basketball at both Radford and Washington & Jefferson.
As Paige recalls, in their house, playing sports wasn't really a choice – but that was never an issue for her and her siblings.
"All of it was definitely parent-driven, but my sisters have always been my role models. I'd say I followed in their footsteps," Paige said. "Our parents wanted us to stay active and play multiple sports, so that's how it came about, but we loved it anyway, so it worked out."
While the athletic success that Morningstar has achieved wouldn't be possible without the immense dedication and individual drive it takes to become a Division I athlete, she is grateful to have had a proven blueprint to follow along the way – something she just wants to share with others.
"My main goal is to just expose these kids to different things, build those relationships, and hopefully something sticks with them and helps them to grow for the future," Morningstar said. "Some might not have access to certain equipment, or they aren't in an environment to pursue specific sports, so for them to have this opportunity is great. You never know, they might fall in love with something and continue doing it for the rest of their lives."
In looking at her own undertakings to be an agent of growth for women's sports, Morningstar reflected on the moment of history that she witnessed last August, when more than 92,000 fans filled the University of Nebraska's Memorial Stadium to watch a collegiate women's volleyball doubleheader headlined by the host Huskers.
The much-celebrated spectacle – which set a world record for the largest attendance ever at a women's sports event – was a symbolic benchmark of the journey that women's sports have been on since other historical moments, such as the passing of Title IX legislation in 1972 and the first-ever National Girls & Women in Sports Day in 1987, have taken place.
"A lot of sports weren't even available for girls when I was younger. Even in high school, boys sports would get first dibs on time slots when it should be even across the board," Morningstar said. "The Nebraska game was huge. It made a statement. Everybody, even professional male athletes, knew about that game, and social media was raving. I hope this Sunday will show younger kids that while we have a lot more room to grow, things are getting better, and this is a world that's welcoming you, inviting you, and wanting you to join, play, have fun and embrace being a part of that change."
"Go Girls*, Go Bears, Go Play is so much more than an event - it's about celebrating the importance of girls in sports, connection, and collaboration with our East Bay community," said Jessie Stewart, Cameron Institute's Director of Community Engagement & Partnerships. "It's also an initiative that embodies our goals of community engagement within the Cameron Institute for Student-Athlete Development- engaging our student-athletes as leaders, building connection through sport; and it's a true collaboration and celebration of our amazing school and community partnerships, who have worked with us hand in hand to plan this initiative. We hope this will be the first of many."
The "Go Girls*, Go Bears, Go Play!" event will take place from 9:30-11:30 a.m. PT on Sunday at Edwards Stadium.
Click here to learn more about the event and to register.
Go Girls*, Go Bears, Go Play Student-Athlete & Staff Committee:
Simone Holland -- Lacrosse
Chloe Rand -- Lacrosse
Paige Morningstar -- Volleyball
Peyton DeJardin -- Volleyball
Sophia Johnson -- Volleyball
Ari Manrique - Soccer
Miya Meskis -- Women's Rowing
Mika Lee -- Softball
Jennifer Wong -- Head Coach, Lacrosse
Cheryl Cox -- Assistant Athletic Performance Coach
Kai Felton -- Special Assistant to Head Coach, Women's Basketball
Tess Romine-Black -- Director of Operations, Women's Basketball
Jessie Stewart -- Director of Community Engagement, Cameron Institute
Tayler Perez -- Community Engagement Specialist & Student-Athlete Development Advisor
Diana White -- Associate Director of Executive Operations & Cameron Institute Advisor
*We affirm, welcome, and celebrate all who experience life through the lens of girl/woman in body, spirit, and identity - past, present, future, and fluid.
The Cameron Institute for Student-Athlete Development was made possible through a generous 12.5 million dollar endowment by C. Bryan Cameron in 2019.
