Living Courageously

University of Maryland student-athletes are using their platform through NIL to make a difference and empower the next generation of female student-athletes. 

Reagan Beall, Maya Everett, and Ava Trexler from Maryland field hockey, and Trysta Thomas from Maryland women’s soccer partnered with The Courageous Brand, an educational retail company with a powerful mission. They aim to help the next generation and teach all girls and women to lift each other, believe in themselves, and go fearlessly in the direction of their dreams, sparking a wave of empowerment that will shape the future.

The brand preaches the motto “Give Her Courage.” It produces a podcast and blog, sharing teaching methods and life lessons that equip and inspire young girls to be confident enough to be who they are and achieve their dreams. The Courageous Brand also holds virtual camps where girls are exposed to entrepreneurship, podcasting, authorship, and development through communication skills, leadership, self-confidence, and creativity. Finally, the brand sells jewelry and apparel that further transmits the brand’s goals and missions.

All four of Maryland’s student-athletes have discount codes on The Courageous Brand Shop.

Beall: REAGAN99 | Everett: MAYA2 | Thomas: TRYSTA2024 | Trexler: AVATREX7

Thomas is a rising sophomore goalkeeper for the women’s soccer team. Her partnership with the Courageous Brand was the first deal she did through NIL compensation since being a student-athlete at Maryland. She says the brand represented something that aligned with her values and beliefs. 

“I see a lot of influencers, or just a lot of people in general, partner with things that they maybe don't necessarily believe in, or maybe they're just doing it for the money,” Thomas said. “That just wasn't the goal at all here. That's not why I did it. I genuinely liked the brand.”

Thomas says she has many young cousins who are girls and helps coach young female athletes at her high school during the summer. 

“I think it's just super cool that there are people who care so much about young girls and their development,” she said. 

Trexler, a rising junior midfielder and defender, shared a similar reason for partnering with the brand. “I love their message. Their main message is to instill confidence in young women,” she said. “At the time they reached out, I was going through my freshman year, and anyone who's a college athlete knows how much you struggle with confidence at first. They helped me embrace that journey.”

In the current state of collegiate athletics and the rise of NIL, The Courageous Brand has sought to empower women in sports through its ambassador program. Gabrielle Kirsch is the operations manager for The Courageous Brand, and she explained how it takes a particular individual to manage all of the responsibilities and requirements that come with being a student-athlete.

“It is important that the student is organized, responsible, self-motivated, confident and a great team player, but also knows how to be a leader and someone who is looking for opportunities to grow,” Kirsch said. “All of the qualities that many female student-athletes naturally have or have had to work hard to acquire align with the type of young woman who we would want to represent our brand.”

Thomas and Trexler were each approached by The Courageous Brand on Instagram. The brand first asked for the student-athlete’s input on the content they produce. The student-athletes shared honest thoughts and personal experiences with the brand. 

“I really liked their podcast and their blogs,” Thomas said. “One of them was about empowering women and just teaching young girls how to be resilient.”

After Thomas and Trexler went back and forth with the brand and its co-founders, Amy Klein and Kelly Roach, they discussed the opportunity of becoming an ambassador. 

The University of Maryland’s value statement states, “We aspire to become a community that is united, Respectful, Secure and Safe, Inclusive, Accountable, Empowered and Open to Growth.” 

When asked about the brand's willingness to continue working with the university's student-athletes, Kirsch stated, “Our values and mission align heavily with The University of Maryland as a whole.”