A:  I played rec soccer for OYA until I was nine.  For U11, I tried out for Lamorinda and was on the equivalent of the white team.  For U12, I made the Navy team.  I played with Lamorinda until I graduated from high school.

Q:  What was your most memorable/funniest soccer moment? First memory?

A:  When I was on my first team, at around age four, I was on a team with all boys.  We would literally run around the entire field in a big mob, stealing the ball from each other.  I even remember one of my teammates pushing me down to get the ball from me, and I think the referee had no idea whether you could call a foul on someone for fouling their own teammate.

Q:  What was your most memorable/funniest soccer moment? First memory?

A:  When I was on my first team, at around age four, I was on a team with all boys.  We would literally run around the entire field in a big mob, stealing the ball from each other.  I even remember one of my teammates pushing me down to get the ball from me, and I think the referee had no idea whether you could call a foul on someone for fouling their own teammate.

Q:  Did your parents help/support you? How?

A:  My parents were very supportive.  Once I joined the Navy team at U12, I realized I was technically behind, and my dad and I would go out every weekend to kick the ball around.  My mom also allowed me to have an indoor soccer ball, which I would dribble around the house.  That was a pretty concession on her part, considering how likely I was to break something of hers.  My parents also came to almost all of my games and tournaments, sometimes even the ones in North Carolina or Florida.

Q:  Did you ever play with friends in backyards or local schools?  How often?

A:  Every weekend when we didn't have a game, one of my best friends and I would go out and kick the ball around with her dad, who was the coach of the U12 team.  She was a forward and I was a center back, so we would play against each other.  It helped both of us a lot.

Q:  Did you play other sports while growing up?  How did you manage? How about your parents?

A:  I played basketball and did gymnastics, but really, once I made the Navy team, it was all about soccer.  My parents supported that choice because they could see how into soccer I was.

Q:  How do the things you have learned in soccer help you in other areas of your life?

A:  Honestly, one of the best things soccer gave me was the ability to manage my time.  Having practice everyday gives such a nice structure to your life, and it forced me to be much better organized. 

Q:  Do you still play? Where?

A:  I play with the U18 girls, and the U17 girls and boys because they're fun and really good.  I also play a lot of pickup with the coaches, especially around the holidays.

Q:  Where do you attend college? What is your major?

A:  I go to Cal and I'm a Genetics and Plant Biology major with a History of Art minor.

Q:  When did you get start coaching? Why?

A:   I helped with clinics and stuff like that in high school.  During the end of my freshman year of college, Mo asked me to coach a U9 team.  I really missed playing and soccer in general, so I decided to give coaching a shot.

Q:  Famous UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden said,"things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out"  what do you think he meant?

A:  I think he meant that our perception of our circumstances is more important than the circumstances themselves.  If you take what you've been given and do the best you can with it, things tend to work out in your favor.