S. Ceren Uzman

When S. Ceren Uzman left Abu Dhabi to attend NYU in 2019, she was looking for an education. She was also, like many queer people, searching for community. She graduated summa cum laude in 2023 and completed her master’s in social work the following year, all while quietly building something that would grow far beyond a pickup game: Froot Hoops. As a college student, she found the only reliable way to meet other LGBTQ+ people was through parties and bar circuits. Uzman founded Froot Hoops, a queer basketball collective, in July 2022 to offer an alternative. It began with the simple idea that queer community shouldn’t have to revolve around nightlife. Froot Hoops is a casual, welcoming place where lesbians, queer women, and nonbinary people can gather to play basketball, cheer from the sidelines, or just flirt a little. The first meetups sometimes had only a handful of people. But growth, persistence, and an “army of lesbians,” as Uzman jokes, transformed the group into a vibrant community. Today, Froot Hoops has expanded beyond sports, using its platform to fundraise for LGBTQ+ causes and provide direct support to community members, from helping cover gender-affirming medical costs to amplifying urgent housing requests. Uzman also works as a licensed social worker within New York City’s shelter system, supporting clients navigating complex mental health and substance use challenges. Her work, both on and off the court, hinges on the same belief: community, environment, and care are drivers of resilience. —AK