Jamilah, Zaynah and Latifah McBryde never expected to become college athletes, much less change the rules of American women’s wrestling.

The sisters are devout Muslims who were homeschooled and grew up wrestling one another in Buffalo, N.Y.

“We always said we would never be able to wrestle in college,” said Jamilah, 22.

Coaches recognized their talent when they were teenagers, but they couldn’t wrestle with boys, nor could they wear the required wrestling singlet — due to their faith.

Eventually their passion for the sport – and their perseverance – led to rule changes allowing Muslim women to compete in full-body uniforms at collegiate and national levels.

The sisters based their initial uniforms off those developed for Iranian women wrestlers: a long-sleeved shirt with another shirt over it, and leggings underneath pants, along with a head covering.

Zaynah McBryde (right) battles with Samantha Barragan of Texas Wesleyan University at the 2025 NAIA Women’s Wrestling National Championship.

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Geoff Stellfox for NPR

Associate head wrestling coach Christian Flavin (center) and head coach Ashley Flavin (right) watch intently as Zaynah McBryde competes.

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Geoff Stellfox for NPR

“It started off kind of rough,” Zaynah, 19, said. “The more we trained and, like, started to try to compete, it was like, these hijabs aren’t staying on.”

Trainers and coaches offered helpful suggestions; the sisters now use velcro to keep their shirts tucked into their pants, and they tape their hijabs onto their heads.

“It’s like the people that we’ve met along the way, our coaches and athletic trainers have really helped develop the uniform,” Jamilah said.

These modest uniforms honor their faith, but they also sparked controversy. In 2022, when Latifah, 20, qualified to represent the U.S. at the Pan American Championships for Wrestling, United World Wrestling (UWW), which governs the sport at the international level, denied her request to wear the modified uniform. She ultimately wasn’t able to compete.

But college coaches were excited to recruit them. They recognized the sisters’ potential, though several coaches struggled when asked how they would handle referees who objected to the uniforms. The response from coaches at Life University in Marietta, Ga., stood out.

“The coaches at Life were the first ones that said, ‘If they’re on our team, they’re part of the family. We’re getting the rule changed,’ ” said Zaynah.

Life University associate head wrestling coach Christian Flavin, who is married to head coach Ashley Flavin, does an emotional check-in with his team on the eve of the 2025 NAIA Women’s Wrestling National Championship.

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Jamilah McBryde holds her coach’s son while teammate Megan Stottsberry and sister Latifah watch.

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Geoff Stellfox for NPR

“We really wanted to open that college door for them and give them the opportunity to keep competing at a high level,” said Ashley Flavin, the head coach of women’s wrestling at Life University.

Thanks to Flavin and other wrestling coaches’ efforts, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), one of the organizations that governs wrestling at American colleges, approved the modified uniforms in the summer of 2022.

That fall, the sisters enrolled at Life University, where they found a welcoming team culture.

Latifah McBryde leaves a final shake-out training session with teammates ahead of the 2025 NAIA Women’s Wrestling National Championship.

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Zaynah McBryde breaks her Ramadan fast with a traditional Iftar meal of dates. All three McBryde sisters maintained their Ramadan fast in the lead up to the tournament.

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Geoff Stellfox for NPR

“Girls on the team have the prayer app downloaded on their phones to tell us when prayer time is,” Jamilah said. “While there is a lot of negativity and people who don’t support us wrestling this way, there are a lot who do.”

Jamilah won her first national title last year, qualifying her for U.S. Olympic team trials — but that dream was shattered after UWW ruled that their modest uniforms created an unfair advantage.

The sisters and their coaches strongly disagree, arguing the uniforms are more likely a disadvantage. Flavin said the extra clothing means the sisters get hotter during competition. The sisters also said some competitors have tried to tear their hijabs off to gain an advantage.

But Jamilah said they’ve also had more positive experiences.

“There are people that we’ve wrestled against and our hijab will come off in the match, and they’ll stop wrestling and cover us and wait for our coach to come over and bring tape,” she explained.

Jamilah McBryde takes a breath during training ahead of the championship, which fell during Ramadan.

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Mustafa and Christine McBryde, the sisters’ parents, take Zaynah’s championship bracket home after the tournament.

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Geoff Stellfox for NPR

After the McBryde sisters advocated for change, USA Wrestling, the national governing body for the sport of wrestling in the U.S., changed its rules this year to allow modified uniforms. “I was just shocked,” Jamilah said. “Like, it actually happened. We did it.”

This year’s NAIA Women’s Wrestling National Championship fell in March, during Ramadan, which meant the sisters trained and competed while fasting. Despite that added challenge, Zaynah and Latifah won the championship for their weight classes, and Jamilah finished second to a former Olympian.

Zaynah McBryde receives her plaque after winning the 2025 championship for her weight class.

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Though Olympic dreams remain out of reach due to international rules, the sisters are hopeful that will eventually change.

Zaynah McBryde (center) and sister Jamilah (right) celebrate with teammates after finding out that USA wrestling would let them compete in trials.

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“I’m just kind of content with the idea now that, like, OK, even if I don’t ever step on an Olympic stage … I’ve had a lasting impact on wrestling,” Latifah said. “Even if I’ve had a positive effect on one other Muslim girl to let her know that she’s capable of doing things and that she can be strong and modest and feminine — all at the same time — then I’ve done my job.”

All three sisters plan to stay involved in the sport after college; Zaynah and Latifah are interested in coaching. Jamilah doesn’t think she’ll follow that path, but she says wrestling isn’t something she can fully step away from, given her family’s love of the sport.

“I think it’s definitely going to be a part of our lives forever.”

Key points:

Digital learning resources are transforming classrooms, and educators are always on the lookout for tools that go beyond the standard platforms. There are numerous lesser-known digital platforms that offer unique, high-quality learning experiences tailored to students’ and teachers’ needs.

Here are ten standout resources that can enhance instruction, boost engagement, and support deeper learning.

1. CurrikiStudio

Subject areas: All subjects
Best for: Interactive learning content creation

CurrikiStudio is a free, open-source platform that allows teachers to design interactive learning experiences without needing coding skills. Educators can create multimedia lessons, games, and assessments tailored to their curriculum. It’s ideal for flipped classrooms, project-based learning, or blended learning environments.

2. InqITS (Inquiry Intelligent Tutoring System)

Subject areas: Science
Best for: Developing scientific inquiry skills

InqITS offers virtual science labs where students can conduct experiments, analyze results, and receive real-time feedback. The platform uses AI to assess student performance and provide just-in-time support, making it a great tool for teaching scientific practices and critical thinking aligned with NGSS.

3. Parlay

Subject areas: ELA, Social Studies, Science
Best for: Structured online and in-class discussions

Parlay enables educators to facilitate student discussions in a more inclusive and data-informed way. With written and live discussion formats, students can express their ideas while teachers track participation, collaboration, and the quality of responses. It’s an excellent tool for fostering critical thinking, debate, and reflective dialogue.

4. Geoguessr EDU

Subject areas: Geography, History, Global Studies
Best for: Geospatial learning and global awareness

Geoguessr EDU is an educational version of the popular game that drops players into a random location via Google Street View. Students use context clues to determine where they are, building skills in geography, culture, and critical observation. The EDU version allows teachers to control content and track student progress.

5. Mosa Mack Science

Subject areas: Science
Best for: Middle school science with an inquiry-based approach

Mosa Mack offers animated science mysteries that prompt students to explore real-world problems through investigation and collaboration. With built-in differentiation, hands-on labs, and assessments, it’s a rich resource for schools seeking engaging science content that supports NGSS-aligned inquiry and critical thinking.

6. Listenwise

Subject areas: ELA, Social Studies, Science
Best for: Listening comprehension and current events

Listenwise curates high-quality audio stories from public radio and other reputable sources, paired with interactive transcripts and comprehension questions. It helps students build listening skills while learning about current events, science topics, and historical moments. It’s especially helpful for English learners and auditory learners.

7. Mind Over Media

Subject areas: Media Literacy, Social Studies
Best for: Analyzing propaganda and media messages

Created by media literacy expert Renee Hobbs, Mind Over Media teaches students to critically analyze modern propaganda in advertising, news, social media, and political content. Through guided analysis and opportunities to submit their own examples, students build essential digital citizenship and media literacy skills.

8. Brilliant

Subject areas: Math, Science, Computer Science
Best for: Problem-solving and conceptual learning

Brilliant.org offers interactive lessons and puzzles that teach students how to think logically and apply concepts rather than simply memorize formulas. With content tailored for advanced middle schoolers and high school students, it’s ideal for enrichment, gifted learners, or students seeking challenge and depth in STEM topics.

Each of these digital learning tools brings something unique to the table–whether it’s fostering deeper discussion, building scientific inquiry skills, or promoting digital literacy.

As schools look to personalize learning and prepare students for a complex, fast-evolving world, these lesser-known platforms provide meaningful ways to deepen engagement and understanding across subjects.

By incorporating these tools into your classroom, you not only diversify your digital toolkit but also give students access to a wider range of learning modalities and real-world applications. Whether you’re looking for curriculum support, project-based tools, or enrichment resources, there’s a good chance one of these platforms can help meet your goals.

Laura Ascione is the Editorial Director at eSchool Media. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland’s prestigious Philip Merrill College of Journalism.

Latest posts by Laura Ascione (see all)

Introduce yourself in three words or phrases.

I am an educator, an innovator, and a scholar.

What do you like most about your job?

Oh gosh, I love my job. I think what I really enjoy is the expanse, the scope, the landscape, it’s huge. I love that we are not just solving problems, we are actually defining them.

Best work trip/Worst work trip?

The best work trip? I have had so many good ones. This (APAIE 2025, Delhi, and overall India tour) has been a great work trip.

But I also had a fantastic trip to London with my foundation president. We went together and ran a workshop on “friend-raising”, instead of just fundraising, the idea is to build genuine relationships. UK universities were trying to learn it, and since US universities are a bit ahead in that area, we worked with them. That was really fun.

I also went to South Korea on a work trip. I love South Koreans, and I love the country, but they made me work so hard. The person who planned the trip, god bless her, packed the schedule so tight that I did not get even one hour of sightseeing.

It was a 14–15 hour flight to Seoul, and the trip ended up being the kind of hard work that South Koreans put in every single day.

If you could learn a language instantly, which would you pick and why?

Definitely Mandarin and Spanish. I was foolish enough to promise a class at the University of Puerto Rico that, “next time I visit, I promise I will give you the lecture in Spanish”, so it ain’t happening. But I do take pride in speaking multiple languages, I would say I am fluent in at least five. I even started learning Mandarin with Rosetta Stone (language learning software). I didn’t get too far, but I absolutely love how the language sounds.

What makes you get up in the morning?

I think what drives me is a genuine passion for the work. There’s just so much to be done.

As the chief academic officer at Rutgers, my role is about having a deep, self-aware understanding of the institution, in ways that few others might. While everyone else is focused on their specific responsibilities, I am constantly looking at the institution as a whole.

How do we stay true to our mission? How do we improve? How do we gain recognition? And how do we move the needle on our academic standing?

These are broad, complex challenges, but that’s what makes the work so meaningful.

Champion/cheerleader which we should all follow and why?

There are so many influential people now, and they each teach you something different. I have learned a lot from Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Peace Prize winner, especially his approach to life.

For instance, I was really impressed by Jennifer Doudna after reading her biography, The Code Breaker, which is written by Walter Isaacson.

I am actually very intrigued by Isaacson himself, someone who writes about others so insightfully. He’s also written about Steve Jobs. The way he pieces together these stories is fascinating.

In The Code Breaker, what struck me was how science and research are portrayed as incredibly competitive fields. And yet, the breakthroughs often come in these magical, nonlinear moments, when the right people come together with the right tools, and suddenly, something clicks.

That idea of serendipity, of miraculous intersections, it really resonated with me. No one creates miracles alone; you need a village.

The book also shows how intensely competitive some of these research groups can be.

But more than anything, what stood out was the brilliance, the hard work, and the value of good observers, people who can see the bigger picture. I think we need more of those champions.

Best international ed conference and why

I think this is a very cool conference (APAIE 2025). I was walking around the booths, and was at a roundtable with several presidents and vice-chancellors. It’s really exciting because this is not what higher education looked like 20 or 30 years ago.

What you see here today is different countries like Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the UK coming together. It’s like the whole world is showing up and saying, “Come be a part of us”.

Worst conference food/beverage experience

I was at a meeting at the World Biomaterials Congress, I think it was in Chengdu, China.

We went out to eat, and let’s just say where we ate you’re pretty much eating reasonably raw food. That was pretty challenging.

I mean I love Chinese food, I love Sichuan food, but that was challenging.

Book or podcast recommendation for others in the sector?

Definitely The Code Breaker by Isaacson, I would recommend that to people. I think it’s a pretty interesting book. If you are looking for something educationally oriented, then there’s Building Research Universities in India by Pankaj Jalote.

I’m very impressed with how he’s drawn on the research in terms of how things have changed over the last hundred years, how India’s research landscape has changed.

I am listening to a whole bunch of podcasts. Dementia Matters, a podcast about Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia, is something I am really liking.