Colorado will have two familiar names among the Big 12’s latest group of student-athlete leaders. Preston Ashley from football and Jordan Whiteaker from soccer were selected to represent the university in the Big 12 Beyond Borders program, the conference announced Friday.
The initiative is a two-year program that began in 2024 and is designed to bring student-athletes, coaches and administrators into a range of historical and cultural experiences in the United States and overseas. Each Big 12 school chose two student-athletes for the program, with selections based on leadership and character both on and off the field.
Ashley is an incoming freshman corner back from Brandon, Miss., and plans to major in Communication. Whiteaker, a junior defender from Littleton, Colo., played every one of Colorado’s 24 games on the back line during the team’s Sweet 16 run in 2025 and contributed seven assists. She is majoring in International Affairs/Sociology.
This week’s opening stop is Washington, D.C., where the participants will take part in civic leadership opportunities, visit major historical sites and work in the local community. Their schedule includes meetings with members of Congress on Capitol Hill, along with visits to the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
The D.C. portion also includes a service project with the Big 12 and the College Football Playoff Foundation to help revitalize several spaces at a local DCPS middle school. That effort will include a community garden created with support from Plots & Pans. Student-athletes will also spend time with students through a field day, arts and crafts activities and an educational panel discussion.
Washington, D.C. is the first stop in a two-year experience meant to expose participants to different cultures, communities and leadership opportunities across the United States and abroad.
"We created Big 12 Beyond Borders as a way to help develop our student-athletes into the global leaders of tomorrow," said Jenn Hunter, JD, Big 12 Chief Impact and Student Services Officer. "The program utilizes history, culture, food, art, community engagement and advocacy as a way to understand our connectedness and place in this world. With the skillsets our group of student-athlete leaders possess, their opportunities are endless, and we are excited to witness the journey that this next cohort will experience."
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