What contributes to athletic—and academic—success? It’s having clear goals, steadfast commitment, necessary resources, and unwavering support along the journey.
Since 2017, Under Armour’s Project Rampart initiative has been a partner in that journey.
While Project Rampart impacts almost 8,000 City School students participating in athletics each year, it’s especially evident to the 77 students from 23 schools across the city who are currently on the Student Athlete Leadership Council. They meet monthly at the UA House on Fayette St., the community center in East Baltimore, for discussions, mentorship, engaging activities, and camaraderie—all to develop their leadership on and off the field and support their personal goals. Through their participation, they learn to see peers from rival schools as equals and friendly competitors and begin to understand their responsibility as role models to other students and their communities.
Just ask Jolie Hamilton and Adam Martin.
This is Adam’s second year on the Leadership Council. A Baltimore City College soccer team senior, Adam, says the Council is “a cool opportunity to network with, and learn from, people from various sports and backgrounds who I can now reach out to for support. Being on the Council pushed me out of my comfort zone and put myself out there. It’s an opportunity for me to grow and be better every day.”
Adam also says that his participation on the Council has “pushed me to focus on academics, making sure I’m on top of my game academically so I can continue to put as much effort as I want into sports.” Adam has options after graduating; he’s been accepted to multiple universities and has been inspired by Project Rampart to pursue a career as a Director of Marketing or Creative Director— as he says, “to get involved in the community and do things that directly involve the people you’re trying to benefit.”
For Jolie, a Forest Park High School senior, a standout girls' basketball player, and a high-performing student, the Council lets her “expand my influence and combine what I enjoy most with academics. I want to make a career out of that, and I’m excited to see where I can go from here.”
Project Rampart introduced Jolie to “so many opportunities to grow and be a better person in Baltimore.”
The Council members also share ideas for what the company can do to remove barriers, create access, and improve the lives of City Schools athletes. Those ideas have spurred additional opportunities for students.
“Everything Under Armour is focused upon through our Project Rampart initiative is about eliminating barriers to access in sport,” says Blake Maciel, Project Rampart Director. “We want to know what circumstances keep some students from participating and how we can change that. Every young person in the city deserves to play the sport they love in a safe, welcoming environment with proper resources.”
That welcoming environment now extends to Under Armour’s Brand House flagship store at Baltimore Peninsula. A new, permanent Project Rampart display is devoted to City Schools athletes. The inviting space highlights two City School athletes each season, including their biographies and mannequins that represent them, their sport, their school, and their personal style.
Joshua Blackston was one of the first student athletes profiled at the store. A senior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, he is the city's first All-American football player and will attend (and play for) Rutgers in the fall.
In fact, after the unveiling of his mannequin at the Brand House store, Joshua asked for a job and is now working there part-time.
Joshua has nothing but praise for Under Armour’s support of athletes. “Under Armour means everything to me being an athlete in Baltimore,” he says. “I've been wearing Under Armour since the first time I played football at four years old. Under Armour gives back to its community’s athletes all the time.”
“We want to continue ensuring our young people, especially Baltimore City student athletes, are ever-present in our minds, actions, and decision-making,” continues Blake Maciel. “We want to ensure that everyone in Baltimore City understands what we mean when we say we are OF Baltimore, not simply from Baltimore.”
Under Armour also provides uniforms for all varsity athletes at 23 City Schools' high schools. New 
spring uniforms were unveiled at special ceremonies on March 8, 2025. Additionally, Under Armour supports academic success at 10 different schools in partnership with the AthLife Foundation. At Frederick Douglass High School, for example, athletes attend mandatory study halls where they get help with homework and prepare for upcoming tests. Under Armour has also refurbished or repaired 21 gyms in city schools, including repairs to bleachers and scoreboards.
Strong community partners are essential to actualizing City Schools’ Portrait of a Graduate, which provides the strategic direction to ensure students develop the interpersonal skills and talents to pursue higher education, develop a family-sustaining career, and achieve their dreams. The foundation of the Portrait includes academics, wholeness, and leadership; City Schools continues to support student wholeness through athletic opportunities.