When Zeta Kromah ’28 boarded a plane to Liberia over winter break in December 2025, she wasn’t just going home. She was carrying an idea that had been building since she first set foot on William & Mary’s campus: What if she could bring the best of her Tribe experience to the kids who needed it most?
That thought became Tribe Stars in Liberia, a series of clinics that offered underserved young people instruction in soccer, school, and leadership. In its first summer, the program reached more than 400 youth through day-long workshops that emphasized not just scoring goals but the importance of civic leadership and academic success.
Tribe Stars hosted camps in underserved communities in and around the Liberian capital, Monrovia, including West Point, Chicken Soup Factory and Careysburg. Participants ages 12 to 18 took part in team-building activities and soccer training sessions led by coaches and alumni from LEAD Monrovia Football Academy (LEAD MFA).
The first camp attracted 105 participants. At the end of each event, every young person received a soccer jersey, shorts and a backpack filled with school supplies collected through donations from the William & Mary community. Kromah also collected more than 30 pairs of cleats to donate.
Two paths intersect
The project represents a full-circle moment in Kromah’s journey.
She grew up in West Point, one of the most densely populated and economically challenged communities in Monrovia. In 2015, at just 9 years old, she joined the inaugural class of LEAD MFA, the first school in Liberia to combine high-quality academics with elite soccer training.
Founded by William & Mary alumnus Will Smith ’14, a former captain of the Tribe soccer team,
LEAD MFA was built around a simple but ambitious idea: Sports can be a vehicle for educational opportunity and the development of civic leadership skills.
The summer before his senior year, Smith had traveled to Monrovia to conduct research for his honors thesis which took him into fishing villages that most outsiders never visited.“Trust didn’t come easily until, one day, he joined a pickup soccer game,” recounted Mike Tierney, director of William & Mary’s Global Research Institute, an incubator that supports applied research. But, “a few tricks with the ball, and the ice was broken instantly. Soccer was the fastest way into the community.”
And the start of something bigger. Smith went on to found LEAD MFA after earning his MSc in African Studies from Oxford University.
“Zeta’s story is so remarkable,” Smith said. “She was one of the first student-athletes to join LEAD MFA in 2015 when we were just getting off the ground.”
The academy’s focus on discipline and service shaped Kromah both on and off the field. She became valedictorian of LEAD MFA’s first graduating class in 2024, captained Liberia’s U17 Women’s National Team and earned opportunities with the country’s U20 and senior national teams.
Kromah says a pivotal memory is that, when she was in eighth grade, Smith gave her a notepad imprinted with William & Mary’s logo at the top. Dreaming of seeing the campus in person motivated her.
“LEAD is basically where I learned everything,” Kromah said. “I learned how to be a leader, work hard and dream big.”
A life-changing introduction
Through Smith’s connection to William & Mary, Kromah was introduced to women’s soccer Head Coach Julie Cunningham Shackford ’88 and Associate Head Coach Marsha Lycan ’87. Although the roster was already full and scholarship funding was limited, the coaching staff recognized something special.
“I have never met somebody so effusive, so articulate,” Shackford said. “I felt like we couldn’t get her here fast enough.”
Today, Kromah is an outside back for the Tribe women’s soccer team and the recipient of a Hixon Family Enrichment Scholarship, underwritten by Jim Hixon J.D. ’79, M.L.T. ’80 and his daughter Kate Hixon ’08. Kromah and administered by the Reves Center for International Studies. Kromah is majoring in international relations with a minor in business marketing, has twice earned recognition on the Coastal Athletic Association Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
But while juggling college courses and competing at the Division I level, Kromah remained focused on giving back: How could she create opportunities for young people at home?
An epiphany at Target
The answer came during a visit to Target while shopping for gifts before her trip home to Liberia at winter break in 2025.
“I thought, instead of putting smiles on the faces of my family and friends, what if I create something that would be impactful for a lot of young people in Liberia?” she said. Within days, she began building Tribe Stars. Support quickly followed.
William & Mary Athletics rallied behind the effort, collecting equipment and supplies. The Reves Center found funds available in the Hixon Scholarship Enrichment Endowment to support her program. The Global Research Institute provided grant funding by making Kromah a GRI Summer Fellow, supporting her research into community organization best practices. She started a GoFundMe account to raise money to purchase hundreds of backpacks and pay to transport donated gear to Liberia. LEAD MFA coaches, alumni and volunteers joined Tribe Stars as instructors.
“Like William & Mary always does, we all chipped in,” Shackford said. “It’s a perfect example of how one person makes a difference.”
The impact became tangible during one of the camps when a young boy arrived wearing jeans and slippers because he had no soccer gear.
Rather than turn him away, Zeta gave money to two instructors and asked them to take the boy to purchase shorts and sneakers so he could participate.
Kromah said his joy was unmistakable.
“He came back after 15 or 20 minutes. He was so excited,” she said. “At the end of the day, he went home with a backpack, a notebook and a pencil. I know that day meant a lot to him, but it meant a lot to me, too.”
For Kromah, moments like that capture the purpose of Tribe Stars.
Coming from an underserved community herself, she understands what it means to be overlooked. Through the initiative, she hopes every participant feels seen, supported and capable of pursuing their dreams.
“We want every kid possible in Liberia to know that we see them,” she said. “We appreciate them, and we want to support them.”
Kromah envisions Tribe Stars growing beyond her years at William & Mary, becoming a community-driven movement that continues creating opportunities for Liberia’s next generation.
“This is just the beginning,” she said. The organization is raising funds to stage the camps again next summer.
From a young girl learning leadership on a soccer field in Monrovia to a William & Mary student bringing new opportunities back home, Kromah has lived both sides of the story. Now, she is working to help more young people write their own stories.
Susan Corbett, Communications Specialist