GatorsLead Global 2026 takes 14 women to Greece for a 10-day trip that includes service and leadership acitivities. Front row (from left): Lily Bruce, Sophia Sindelar, Bella Lee, Jocelyn Sasson, Clark Hamilton, Colleen Ryan, Keeghan Edwards. Back row: Asia Phillips, Allison Fling, Abby Elmore, Madison Walker, Jayden Emmanuel, Kira Hutson, Paloma Peña.
GatorsLead Global 2026 Heads to Greece
Saturday, June 20, 2026 | General, Gymnastics, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Track and Field, Volleyball, Otis Hawkins Center
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Fourteen Gator student-athletes head to Greece for an opportunity to serve the community and explore a historic country. The 10-day trip begins today with a flight to Athens.
The women makes several trips out to serve at community events while in Athens and Thessaloniki, and also plan to visit the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
There is also time to explore Athens and Thessaloniki . Planned adventures include:
* Tour of Panathenaic Stadium
* Day cruise to Saronic Islands
* City tour of Athens which includes Acropolis, Acropolis Museum and Parthenon
* City tour of Thessaloniki, including stops at the White Tower, Archeo Theatro and ancient ruins
* Pakration activity led by the Greek Federation
* Beach day at Chalkidiki including kayaking
Junior Gator soccer goalkeeper Paloma Peña is looking forward to sharing this trip with other UF female student-athletes.
"I'm obviously looking forward to going to a new place. I've never gone to Greece before and making this trip even more special is that I'm traveling with other Gator student athletes. We're going to do some community service while there, which I think is super special," Peña said. "Sharing this trip with such a strong and amazing group is going to be super fun. We're going to get know each other a whole bunch better and will have a great experience exploring a new place together."
Participating Gators:
Staff:
Shandy Dawkins – Assistant Director, Leadership Development
Dr. Allison Forrest-Director of Gators Experience
Bria Stanley, Athletic Trainer
Andrea Guzman, Creative Videographer
Rachel Rusch, Creative Photographer
Follow Gator team and Florida Gators social accounts to see the fun moments from Greece.
The women makes several trips out to serve at community events while in Athens and Thessaloniki, and also plan to visit the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
There is also time to explore Athens and Thessaloniki . Planned adventures include:
* Tour of Panathenaic Stadium
* Day cruise to Saronic Islands
* City tour of Athens which includes Acropolis, Acropolis Museum and Parthenon
* City tour of Thessaloniki, including stops at the White Tower, Archeo Theatro and ancient ruins
* Pakration activity led by the Greek Federation
* Beach day at Chalkidiki including kayaking
Junior Gator soccer goalkeeper Paloma Peña is looking forward to sharing this trip with other UF female student-athletes.
"I'm obviously looking forward to going to a new place. I've never gone to Greece before and making this trip even more special is that I'm traveling with other Gator student athletes. We're going to do some community service while there, which I think is super special," Peña said. "Sharing this trip with such a strong and amazing group is going to be super fun. We're going to get know each other a whole bunch better and will have a great experience exploring a new place together."
Excited to announce the cohort of student-athletes participating in the 2026 GatorsLead Global journey to Greece! ✈️🇬🇷 #GatorsLead pic.twitter.com/Jzsy526Hxb
— The Gators Experience (@GatorsExp) May 7, 2026
Participating Gators:
- Lily Bruce, Gymnastics
- Jocelyn Sasson, Gymnastics
- Allison Fling, Lacrosse
- Clark Hamilton, Lacrosse
- Colleen Ryan, Lacrosse
- Abby Elmore, Track & Field
- Keeghan Edwards, Track & Field
- Asia Phillips, Track & Field
- Jayden Emmanuel, Soccer
- Sophia Sindelar, Soccer
- Paloma Peña, Soccer
- Madison Walker, Softball
- Kira Hutson, Volleyball
- Bella Lee, Volleyball
Staff:
Shandy Dawkins – Assistant Director, Leadership Development
Dr. Allison Forrest-Director of Gators Experience
Bria Stanley, Athletic Trainer
Andrea Guzman, Creative Videographer
Rachel Rusch, Creative Photographer
Follow Gator team and Florida Gators social accounts to see the fun moments from Greece.
Players Mentioned
AA
/ Gymnastics
FR/FR | Distance
/ Track and Field
GK
/ Soccer
A
/ Lacrosse
A
/ Lacrosse
OH
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
SO/SO | Jumps
/ Track and Field
D
/ Lacrosse
AA
/ Gymnastics
MF
/ Soccer
UTL
/ SoftballThursday, June 11
Tuesday, June 02
Tuesday, June 02
Monday, June 01
