Robert “Rob” Israel, a sophomore from Madison, Conn., has a deep passion for athletics.

Prior to attending Colgate, Israel played on the men’s tennis team throughout his high school career. In his senior year, serving as team captain, Israel’s team went on to claim the state title, an intense experience that he brought with him onto Colgate’s campus.

Bringing his love for tennis with him to Colgate, Israel now serves as one of the captains of the club tennis team on campus. 

Israel describes the club as “fun” and as “revitalized,” noting their record of 7-2 this past year. He continues to use his love for sports through his work as a marketing and promotions intern with Colgate Athletics in which he brainstorms how to make sporting events more enjoyable, planning and implementing initiatives to increase athletic participation and enthusiasm.

Israel’s internship directly fuels his interest in discovering what exactly makes a sporting event all around enjoyable for the attendees, and he takes a special kind of joy in seeing students and faculty enjoy themselves at community athletic events he’s helped organize.

Along with Israel’s passion for athletics, he majors in Psychology on campus due to its wide applicability to the majority of careers. Israel’s fascination by the way humans function, adheres to his job as a tour guide for the Office of Admission at Colgate, where he shows potential new students and parents around Colgate’s facilities and introduces him to the many nuanced aspects of campus life.

Upon Israel’s return to Madison each break, he is greeted by his dog Meatball.