Celtic Spotlight: Senior Zena Nathaniel
When Zena Nathaniel was younger, she recruited her brothers to appear in homemade videos while she taught an imaginary YouTube audience how to do a back handspring. Today, the Providence Catholic senior is putting that same creativity to work through ATHLTZ SPK, the sports media brand she launched in July 2026 to tell the stories behind the athletes we see on game day.
Zena was 10 when she saw her mom work for NBC and NFL Films and create a web series filmed in California. Watching her mom showed her how far an interest in video could take her. In the summer of 2023, Zena joined the media team at Prestige Athletic Track Club, where she gained experience in photography and editing and helped produce an awards show for the athletes. She discovered that the moments she most wanted to capture were often the ones people missed while watching the competition.
Zena continued to build her skills through work with local organizations and the Digital Media Studio at the Joliet Public Library. She also attended the Walter Cronkite Media Camp at Arizona State University and a sports management camp at Northwestern University. With ATHLTZ SPK, she brings those experiences together through game-day coverage, athlete interviews, and original content that captures the personalities and relationships that make sports meaningful.
When she’s deciding what to create, Zena asks herself a question she thinks every creator should consider. Is this something I would want to see? She also thinks about what might draw in people with different interests. For one viewer, it might be the excitement of game day. For another, it might be seeing the bond an athlete shares with a coach or teammate.
Building ATHLTZ SPK has given Zena opportunities to connect with people across Illinois and interview professional athletes. She’s especially proud that companies and organizations trust her to manage their social media pages and bring her own ideas to the content she creates for them.
“I’ve seen the bonds that players share with their coaches and teammates,” Zena shared. Those relationships have inspired her to look for more stories that can make an impact in the communities where athletes live and compete. The project has also brought her closer to her mom, whose work first helped her imagine a future in media.
As graduation approaches, Zena is open to a career in sports media, serving others, or someday working in marketing for Nike. “I am excited to see where the Lord leads me next,” she said. Her advice to fellow Celtics is to believe in what they can do and stay confident in their abilities when the work gets difficult.
We’re proud of Zena for creating a platform that gives athletes space to share their stories. We look forward to seeing whose story she tells next!
