I’m thrilled to be participating in 2025 TCS New York City Marathon, a fundraiser supporting Soccer Without Borders! 

The opportunity to run the NYC Marathon as a member of Team Soccer Without Borders is truly meaningful, as running has been a lifelong passion of mine. As a young person, running on my high school's cross country and track teams gave me a space to belong as my true self, taught me the importance of consistency and goal-setting, and helped me build community at a time when I needed it. I always pictured myself becoming a coach some day, but I wasn’t sure how I would make it happen.

The first time I experienced Soccer Without Borders' ability to harness the power of “the beautiful game” to create positive change for newcomer youth was in the fall of 2021. I began my journey with the organization as a volunteer at our Maryland hub. In my first week of practice, I experienced that magical SWB feeling: a mix of joy, belonging, safety, and connection all bound together by a shared love of soccer and community. As a volunteer, I witnessed a trauma-informed style of coaching that prioritized meaningful relationships, emotional and psychological safety, and inclusion for youth. This coaching style felt revolutionary to me, and more intuitive than any other I had experienced. As the season progressed and my responsibilities expanded, I began to envision myself leading SWB spaces one day; I could see myself becoming the coach every young person needs. 

A few years have passed since then, and I'm now living out that vision as a Staff Member at SWB Colorado! For the past three years I have led programming in Greeley and the Denver Metro, coaching 3-4 days a week, facilitating academic support sessions and team-building trips, and supervising youth leaders from the SWB community that coach alongside me. It is a joy and a privilege to create and foster spaces where youth can develop agency, feel a sense of belonging, build skills to contribute on and off the field, and experience their own version of that inspiring SWB feeling. Through my work, I see SWB providing the same opportunities for acceptance and growth that running gave me as a young person. The combination of two of my most formative and fulfilling endeavors is truly special to me and I hope you choose to support me along the way!

Thanks for getting this far! If you'd like to learn more about Soccer Without Borders, take a look at our 2024 Annual Report. Check out the bullet points below for some ways that you can support:

• Donate: Contribute whatever you can. No amount is too small!
  • To add a little fun and structure to the process, I'm asking folks to consider donating based on a dollar amount for each mile of the marathon (examples below).. Please also feel free to donate at whatever amount you'd like!
    • $0.50/mile = $13 donation
    • $1/mile = $26 donation
    • $5/mile = $130 donation
    • $10/mile = $260 donation.. and so forth
• Follow Along: Check out my Strava and Instagram for updates leading up to the big day!
• Spread the Word: Share my fundraising page with your friends, family, and social networks. Let’s spread awareness so we can raise more!