2026 Spring Fellow

Maddyn Bazaik

Maddyn Baziak is a passionate advocate for gender equity and youth empowerment whose work bridges the worlds of sports and social change. She is the founder of Dreamkickers FC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing the love of soccer with young girls while equipping them with the skills they need to thrive. Driven by her belief that sports are a powerful vehicle for building confidence, leadership, and resilience, Maddyn created Dreamkickers FC to ensure girls have access to the transformative experiences that athletics provide. Her work is especially focused on reaching girls from under-resourced communities who may not otherwise have access to organized sports. Through Dreamkickers FC, Maddyn works to close the opportunity gap that contributes to gender inequality in the workforce by intervening early and building a strong foundation of essential life skills. Her commitment to this cause is reflected in her academic research, which explores how early sports participation can combat invisible bias against women in the business world. Maddyn's vision is a future where every girl has the opportunity to discover her potential. This includes on the field and beyond.

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Equal Opportunity for Women in Business and How Women can Fight the Invisible Bias Through Early Sports Intervention

Capstone Project

This policy brief examines the "invisible bias" against women in business — subtle, systemic advantages that favor men — and proposes early sports participation as a solution. Despite progress on gender equality, women remain underrepresented in leadership and face a persistent pay gap, largely because girls lack early access to experiences that build confidence, resilience, and leadership skills. Research shows 94% of women in C-suite positions played sports, highlighting athletics as a proven pathway to professional success. While Title IX established legal equality in school sports, access gaps remain — especially in under-resourced communities. The brief proposes the California Equal Youth Athletics Access Act (EYAAA), which would require federally funded public schools to allocate at least 50% of athletic resources to girls' programs and mandate equal team offerings at the middle and high school level. Investing in girls' sports is framed as a nonpartisan, cost-neutral strategy for building a more equitable workforce.

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Policy Briefs by the author

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