Empowering Leadership in Latina Athletes (ELLA) Sports Foundation

ELLA (EYA) Sports Foundation (http://www.ellasportsfoundation.org/) is a 501 (c )(3) non-profit whose mission is to level the playing field for Latina and girl athletes. “ELLA,” which is Spanish for “Her” and stands for Empowering Leadership in Latina Athletes, is the brainchild of teenager Lilly Travieso, who began playing sports at a young age. Over the years, Lilly became passionate about playing softball and dreamed of playing the sport at a top university. Lilly embarked on a strenuous mental, physical, and academic journey to achieve her dream. However, along the way, she discovered many obstacles and disparities faced by female athletes and female athletes of color, culturally and economically. With the support of her parents, Lilly was accepted to Cornell University, an Ivy League school, on a sports merit. As a dedicated athlete, she was a starter throughout her time there and proudly graduated in 2024. Currently, she is continuing her athletic career as a graduate student at George Washington University, also a Division 1 institution, where she is pursuing her Master's degree. 

Lilly wanted to make a difference and share with other girl athletes and their parents everything her family learned about navigating girl sports and college recruitment. With the help of her mother Patty Godoy-Travieso, ELLA Sports Foundation was founded with a mission to empower young women to become leaders of tomorrow through sports and academic excellence. ELLA wants to provide female student athletes and their families opportunities and resources to support them so they can succeed in life, and they can make their own legacy, like Lilly is doing.  Watch ELLA's story on CBS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXvHRN0aVdY).