Going For Gold: Andrea Kremer ’76, Traci Green ’96, and Maia Weintraub ’21 | News | Friends Select School

Andrea Kremer ’76
Over the course of her illustrious career, Andrea has established herself as one of the most respected and accomplished sports journalists. She has broken barriers 
as the first woman to hold several high-profile positions, including first female correspondent for ESPN, co-host for the first all-female nationally televised sports show (We Need to Talk), and member of the first all-female booth to call NFL games. Her trailblazing work has earned her numerous accolades, including nine Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award for her work on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, inductee to the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame and Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, and the 2018 recipient of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award, presented by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Andrea was also honored by Friends Select in 2013 with the Distinguished Alumni Award.

Andrea’s crowning achievement came in December 2024, when she was inducted into the prestigious Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame for a career of groundbreaking reporting and storytelling. “This was probably the highest honor in my profession,” Andrea said. “I tried to take it all in, with an audience of my peers standing and applauding. One of the great things about working with so many people is that they were all in the room, and they were genuinely happy for me.”

This recent career milestone not only celebrates Andrea’s professional success but also reflects a journey that began at Friends Select. A “lifer” who attended the school from kindergarten through 12th grade, Andrea immersed herself in all aspects of school life. She was a well-rounded student, excelling academically, athletically, and creatively. Andrea competed on the tennis and swimming teams, danced with the Philadelphia Civic Ballet, and earned her graduating class English and French awards. 

The academic rigor of Friends Select laid a foundation for Andrea’s future success. She fondly remembers English teacher Janet Goldstein, whose influence shaped her writing and storytelling abilities. For a senior year English project, Andrea explored sexism in music by analyzing the lyrics of the Rolling Stones. “Fast forward to the many stories I’ve covered on sexual abuse and domestic violence and things of that nature,” she reflected. “It’s ironic in that respect.”

For Andrea, points of immense pride are the lasting friendships she formed at Friends Select and her connection to the school. “Some of my closest friends in the world are from Friends Select. When I got inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018, two of them were there—one from kindergarten and one from first grade,” she marveled. “I’ve always felt a stronger kinship to Friends Select than to my university.”

Andrea is passionate about mentoring the next generation of journalists and frequently speaks to high school and college students interested in pursuing careers in 
media. Additionally, she designed “The Art of the Interview,” a course she taught for over a decade in the journalism program at Boston University’s College of Commun-ication, where in 2015, she was appointed the Andrew R. Lack Fellow. Her primary piece of advice for aspiring journalists is to focus on developing strong writing skills.

Beyond honing their craft, Andrea encourages young people to pursue their true passions, whether in sports, politics, entertainment, or any other field. For young women in particular, Andrea highlights the unique pressures and challenges they will face, urging them to build their reputations rather than simply their brands. “Don’t build your brand at the expense of building your reputation,” she emphasizes. 

Drawing from her own remarkable career as a testament to perseverance and integrity, Andrea’s words of wisdom are invaluable for the next generation 
of female journalists. She said, “I think it’s important to be someone people can look at and say, ‘There are only two women in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the broadcast side, and she’s one of them. She’s in five different halls of fame, she’s broken significant stories, achieved so much, and been the first in so many places—at ESPN, at Amazon, and in the first all-female broadcast booth.’ Having role models whose body of work you can look to for inspiration is incredibly valuable and, hopefully, motivating.”

Traci Green ’96
Traci has cemented her legacy as an influential leader in the world of collegiate tennis. As the Sheila Kelly Palandjian Head Coach for Harvard Women’s Tennis for almost two decades, Traci has consistently elevated her team to national prominence, earning multiple Ivy League titles and mentoring countless students both on and off the court. Her impact extends beyond competition, as she advocates for equitable opportunities in sports, inspiring the next generation of athletes to pursue excellence while championing values rooted in teamwork, perseverance, and equity.

Traci was drawn to coaching collegiate tennis because it allows her to combine her passion for helping others and a lifelong love of sports in a meaningful way. Of her tenure at Harvard, she is proudest of the program’s remarkable alumnae, and finds inspiration in connecting with these accomplished women at various stages of their lives while contributing to their personal growth. For Traci, mentoring students goes beyond the court. “Mentoring takes time and requires open, two-way communication to build trust. Relationships thrive when there’s mutual respect and genuine care,” she said. “I also believe in learning something from everyone and staying open-minded.”

Traci’s celebrated career in tennis is marked by numerous accolades and leadership roles. She was named the 2021-22 Ragatz Family Harvard Women’s Coach of Excellence, served as board chair of the Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center, was a 2023-24 United States Tennis Association (USTA) Board Presidential Appointee, and was a member of the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Most recently, Traci was honored as one of the newest inductees into the USTA Middle States Hall of Fame as part of their Class of 2024 awardees. “My induction to the USTA Middle States Class of 2024 Hall of Fame was certainly a proud moment,” Traci said. “It’s an honor I never expected, and it reflects years of hard work, passion, great mentors, and striving to be my best self.”

In December, Traci was appointed president of the Black Women in Sport Foundation. The Philadelphia-based nonprofit, co-founded by Traci’s mother, Tina Sloan Green P’96—who recently received the 2025 NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award for dedication to advancing opportunities in athletics for women of color—was created to increase the involvement of Black women and girls in all aspects of sport, including athletics, coaching, and administration. In this new role, Traci draws from her own journey, which has profoundly shaped her leadership skills and commitment to representation. “My experiences have taught me the importance of sports as the ultimate unifier and connector,” she said. “I’ve also learned that securing funding and adequate resources is critical to creating more opportunities for everyone.” 
    
Traci hopes her legacy will center on helping people unlock their potential and demonstrating the power of sports as a platform for growth, leadership, connection, and opportunity. Reflecting on a career defined by giving back, she credits Friends Select for instilling in her a commitment to social responsibility and service. “Those values have shaped how I lead, mentor, and strive to make a difference through sports and service,” she explained. 
To current Friends Select students with athletic aspirations, Traci emphasizes the importance of staying true to one’s values, working collaboratively, and approaching challenges with kindness and determination—lessons she carries 
into every aspect of her life. Her advice to others is to dream big, stay curious, and embrace failure as part of growth. “Surround yourself with people who support you, inspire you, and help you grow.”

Maia Weintraub ’21
Olympic gold medalist Maia began fencing at the age of eight with intense training at the Fencing Academy of Philadelphia. As an upper school student at Friends Select, Maia started competing above her age bracket at the senior level. 
Now a junior at Princeton University, the globally-ranked athlete—17th in the world in women’s foil fencing—feels her experience at Friends Select influenced her journey, both on and off the piste. 

While managing a rigorous course load at Friends Select and maintaining stellar grades, Maia commuted to New York City up to four times a week after school to practice and frequently traveled for international competitions. In her school community, she found unwavering encouragement and a sense of stability as she balanced the rigorous demands of competitive fencing and her academic aspirations. “All the support from both my classmates and the faculty was pivotal for any success I was able to achieve in fencing and academics,” Maia said. “I always knew I had a community who believed in me and were there to help me no matter what happened.”

Reflecting on the school’s values, Maia feels the Quaker SPICES—Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equity and Justice, and Stewardship—still influence her path to success. “The Quaker value of community has always been really important to me. My Friends Select family set a high bar in terms of being a community where I felt happy and comfortable being myself,” she said. “Because I was shown this from an early age, I knew what kind of community I wanted to be a part of as I moved forward in life. I was able to find this type of community in fencing, which is part of the reason I decided to keep with the sport.”

Maia is pleased to be back at Princeton, where she rejoined her friends and continued her studies in ecology and evolutionary biology in January. “I was really excited to be back at school with all my friends, since I took the last year off academically to train to qualify for the team,” Maia said. Working toward Olympic gold as an Ivy League student has required intense training and mental fortitude, and the lessons Maia learned both in and out of the classroom at Friends Select prepared her for the challenges. She added, “I’ve learned it’s important to rely on your friends and community for support and never be afraid to ask for help.”

Although she is now focused on qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, CA, Maia continues to savor the unforgettable moment of winning Olympic gold in Paris, France. “For me, the gold medal represents a culmination of all my hard work over the years,” she explained. “Winning it was pretty emotional—lots of tears were shed. It’s still a little unbelievable to me that it happened and that the gold medal is sitting at home in my room!”