By Ann Gill (M.A., ’76)
In just three years on campus, Kamal-Craig Golaube (B.S., ’21) has been a powerful agent for positive change as well as leaving his name in the record books for track and field. He has founded one organization and played a leading role in several others that support not only student-athletes but all students of various identities.
Born in Florida, Kamal grew up between there and Jamaica, where his parents are from. After high school in Lahaina, Hawaii, where he competed in hurdles on the track and field team, he started college at Portland State. When the school did not offer the major he decided to pursue and dropped funding for track and field, he began looking for another institution. Upon visiting our campus, he fell in love with CSU.
When Kamal, a gay Black man, arrived on campus, however, he experienced uncertainty. As he did not know who else identified, he initially hid his identity. Eventually he found supportive groups on campus. What he has gone on to accomplish to help others in similar positions is nothing short of extraordinary.
He participated in activities through the Black/African American Cultural Center. He worked with the Pride Resource Center, including collecting and giving out information about how to support diverse students. He also started an organization. As he proudly states, “I am the founder of a new organization known as Colorado State Athlete Ally,” which is “a support group for athletes who identify within the LGBTQ+ community and allies.”
A great deal of his effort has focused on Athletics. He serves on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and as chair of Diversity and Inclusion. He is a member of the John Mosley Leadership Program, which brings together student athletes of color from all team sports. He also serves as student representative on the “Together Initiative Council,” which works to keep Athletics accountable and to ensure the safety of black student-athletes, staff, and faculty. Kamal also serves as the “bridge communicator” among these programs.
He gratefully acknowledges and celebrates all the support he received from others on campus: “I had so many people at my back, so much help to push this vision forward. I am here not just as an individual but for the future of queer folks and people of color, to make this campus a place for everybody.”
In addition to all his advocacy and related activity, Kamal helped the track and field team win the Mountain West Conference outdoor championship in 2019 and 2021 as well as the indoor championship in 2019 and 2020. For indoor track and field, he holds the eighth fastest time in CSU history for 55-meter hurdles and the twelfth fastest time for the 60-meter hurdles. In outdoor track, he holds the sixteenth fastest time for the 110-meter hurdles.
This amazing young man graduated this spring with a degree in health and exercise science with a sports medicine concentration. However, he will return to campus next academic year to compete in the COVID-extended 2021 indoor track season and take courses toward a biology major. Currently working as a fitness instructor, he hopes to become a physician assistant and perhaps one day pursue an M.D. degree. He also hopes to qualify for the Olympics.
But, as he is a “go with the flow type person,” one can only surmise what new adventures the future will bring. He believes that, “whatever opportunity presents itself, you should chase it and follow your dreams.” His wonderfully supportive family always urged him to “shoot for the stars and take every opportunity.” Given all he has accomplished at CSU, the future holds tremendous promise for Kamal and those fortunate enough to cross paths with this wonderfully talented and committed young man.
