Data analyst, coach, and Deaflympics athlete: Emelia Beldon leads the way

Five minutes into her first game in Tokyo, Emelia Beldon, ’22, grimaced as she laid facedown on the court. A hard foul by a Türkiye defender had knocked her off her feet onto the basketball. Her teammates rushed over with concerned looks. She picked herself up with a wince and shuffled to the bench.

Less than a minute later, Beldon jumped up, smiling and screaming as a teammate made a three-pointer. While Team USA gritted through a physical opening quarter, she was the first off the bench to celebrate every basket and defensive stop.

The moment befit her status as captain for three of the six games the USA Deaf Women’s Basketball team played in the 2025 Tokyo Deaflympics. Over those six games, Beldon led the team in assists, steals, and minutes played. The accomplishment mirrored her tenure as a lynchpin of Gallaudet Women’s Basketball.

Beldon is a basketball and sports junkie. After playing four years for Gallaudet, she became a Women’s Basketball Assistant Coach. She’s also the head coach of Gallaudet’s new Women’s Flag Football team. And those are only her part-time jobs. She works full-time for Gallaudet’s Institutional Research department as an Associate Data Visualization Developer. 

Leading the herd

Beldon’s drive started at a young age in Minnesota. She watched her father, Jimmy Beldon, ’91, work multiple jobs while raising his six children. He encouraged Beldon and her siblings to say yes to any opportunity that came their way.

Jimmy Beldon and Emelia’s mother, Egina Beldon, ’91, passed a love of sports onto their kids. Beldon started playing soccer, but became impatient waiting every year for Minnesota weather to thaw. She began gravitating to basketball because she could play year-round. 

Beldon continued participating in soccer, volleyball, softball, and track, but basketball became her main focus. She joined AAU teams and traveled around the region. With Egina Beldon, she watched Hall of Famer Maya Moore lead the Minnesota Lynx to multiple WNBA championships. 

After graduating high school, Beldon decided to attend Gallaudet. In addition to her parents, three of her siblings are alumni: Estina, ’16, James Paul, ’E-’18, and Ernelina, ’22. Many extended family members and high school classmates went to Gallaudet, as well.

“Ever since I can remember, I wanted to go to Gallaudet,” Beldon says. “I never thought about going anywhere else. Being able to communicate in ASL was important to me off and on the court.”

Beldon was nervous but excited to join the Bison. She knew the competition would go up a level. Head Coach Stephanie Stevens remembers what Beldon brought to the team.

“Emelia was a true team player,” Stevens says. “Our success was built on her commitment to team connection, daily skill work, and a strong feel for the game. She watched the game with intention, communicated clearly, and played with a passion that raised everyone’s standard.”

Beldon led the Bison in assists her first two years. During her junior and senior seasons, she started every game while leading the team in assists, steals, and minutes played.

In her senior year, Beldon acted as captain and led the team to the conference tournament. She has fond memories of beating St. Mary’s College of Maryland in the semifinals at the Field House. In the conference championship game, the Bison lost a nailbiter in overtime.

Beldon is proud of her time on the team. “I wanted to help change the team culture, and I feel like I did that,” she says.

Visualizing success

Off the court, Beldon found her way to another passion. She had enjoyed Information Technology classes in high school, but the lack of women in the field made her unsure. She went to Dr. Raja Kushalnagar, head of the Accessible Human-Centered Computing and Policy (AHCP) program. Dr. Kushalnagar encouraged her to follow her interests.

“I remember when I first met Emelia, her love for programming and data science shone brightly,” Dr. Kushalnagar says. “She lit up as I described the programming courses and how it meshed with data science.”

Beldon enrolled in the Information Technology program. Professor Todd Bonheyo, ‘16, had taught Beldon in high school and found her in his class again at Gallaudet.

“When I first taught Emelia in high school, I immediately knew she was destined for something great,” Bonheyo says. “Seeing her grow from a motivated high school student into a successful IT major at Gallaudet has been truly rewarding, and it’s a reminder of what’s possible when dedication and passion come together.”

Beldon became one of the first Student Assistants to work with Gallaudet’s Institutional Research department. Under Director Lindsay Buchko, she supported the collection and analysis of some of Gallaudet’s most important data. 

“Emelia stood out to me because of her integrity, honesty, and natural leadership,” Buchko says. “Her technical skills, along with her ability to work independently and collaboratively, makes her a true asset to any team.”

As a woman succeeding in a male-dominated field, Buchko became a role model for Beldon.

“Dr. Buchko is a strong, brilliant woman. I wouldn’t be in this field if it weren’t for her,” Beldon says. “She taught me to be confident and own my space.”

Settling at home

After graduating, Beldon prepared for the next steps in her career. She attended a coding bootcamp away from Gallaudet. The experience grew her skills and highlighted the challenges of navigating inaccessible spaces.

Soon after, Buchko reached out and offered Beldon contract work. The arrangement went so well that the contract was extended. When a permanent position opened, Beldon interviewed and got the job. Over the course of a year, she steadily picked up more responsibilities while becoming an invaluable part of the Institutional Research team.

“Emelia brings a rare balance of technical expertise and human-centered leadership,” Buchko says. “Her strong analytical skills and ability to work independently makes her an exceptional Associate Data Visualization Developer and a trusted team player.”

Beldon is currently working on creating live data dashboards for Gallaudet departments. The dashboards will contain interactive information such as enrollment, course registration, graduation rates, retention rates, and more. The final product will make it much easier for university staff to access the information they need.

For the love of the game

After finishing work, Beldon often walks across campus to the Gallaudet Athletics facilities and starts coaching. She started as an Assistant Coach for the Women’s Basketball team on her last day as a player.

Beldon remembers, “On the day my last season finished, I told Coach Stevens that I wanted to coach. She said, ‘Of course.’”

“Emelia is a coach’s dream because she sees what players can become and helps them believe it, too,” Stevens says. “Not every great player can teach. Emelia can. Her basketball IQ stands out. She’s a steady presence, a true leader, and someone we trust with our team’s development.”

“I love teaching and working with players,” Beldon says. “I love to watch them grow during the season. It’s important for them to have strong deaf women as role models. I can share the knowledge and experience I have from being involved in sports since I was young.

“Coaching has taught me a lot about patience, passion, empathy, and understanding. Not just in basketball, but in life.”

Beldon’s leadership isn’t limited to basketball. She’s also the Head Coach of Gallaudet’s Women’s Flag Football team. Athletic Director Warren Keller, ’10, handpicked her for the job.

While Beldon has watched football most of her life, she had never played. She leaned into the challenge and trusted her leadership ability. To balance her expertise, she intentionally sought out assistant coaches with football experience.

Most of the players on the team had never played football before. Despite that, they won every game during their first season as a club sport.

Silver linings

With 5 seconds left during Beldon’s last game in Tokyo, Team USA was down 4 points to the Japanese home team. An arena full of loud, raucous Japanese fans vibrated with energy. The referees had swallowed their whistles. Team USA was battered and bruised after a physical contest. It would take a miracle for them to even tie the game.

Beldon wasn’t ready to give up. She caught the ball and launched a deep three over a lunging defender. The shot swished through the net, but it wasn’t enough. Team USA lost the gold medal game to Japan by a single point.

As Team USA received their silver medals, Beldon was already reliving the game in her head, figuring out how to improve for the next time. There’s a 3×3 tournament in September 2026 to prepare for, and then the 2027 World Championship. The 2029 Deaflympics in Athens, Greece is already circled on her calendar.

And there will be a next time. “I plan to be in everything,” Beldon says.

Back to the grind

In the months leading up to the Deaflympics, Beldon would often wake up at 4:30am to train before heading to the office. After work, she’d either train some more or assume coaching duties for the Bison.

For now, Beldon is back on campus and back to her normal full schedule. The Gallaudet Women’s Basketball team is in the middle of their season. The inexperienced squad is finding their way after losing seven seniors from the previous year.

“Don’t call it ‘rebuilding’. We’re reloading,” Beldon says. “It’s a young team. The talent is there. There will be a lot of learning this year. We’ll be growing together.”

After basketball season is done, the Women’s Flag Football team will fly again. Beldon looks forward to somehow improving on their undefeated record.

“This year, we’re hungrier. We’re training harder and smarter. There are little things from last year that need to be cleaned up.

“I still have a lot to learn. It’s only been a year.”

And there’s a data dashboard to finish. Beldon relishes every challenge, knowing she couldn’t do it anywhere else.

“I love what I do,” she says. “It doesn’t feel like work. It’s fun.

“I walk into the office and sign with my boss. I sign with my players. All using my native language. I can be the same person at home and at work. Gallaudet is the perfect place as a deaf person.”

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Gallaudet offers bachelor’s and minor tracks in Information Technology.

To keep up with Emelia’s teams, you can follow @GallaudetBison on Instagram, or visit the Women’s Basketball and Women’s Flag Football pages online.