Univeristy and Where I Am At Currently 🔶

I currently am a student-athlete at the Univeristy of Guelph.

How did I get recruited? I attended a ID camp in Newmarket, ON just to get some extra touches on the ball. It was during my christmas break and my older sister was attending the camp as she was in highschool at the time and wanted exposure to both OUA and OCAA schools. I was in grade 8 at the time and took the opportunity to get some practice in before heading back to my OPDL team after christmas break. Coach Shayne Campbell from UofG approached me at the end of the camp to have a conversation with me. He knew how young I was but he wanted to keep in touch with me. As I went into highschool I explored my options talking to and visiting D1 schools and other OUA schools. UofG just felt like home to me. I committed to Guelph and made sure I kept my grades up to get into the program I wanted. I got into Bio-medical science while also minoring in neuroscience. 

My first year of university was all online due to covid and we were not able to have a season. In my second year I played my rookie season. I learned a lot that season and had the best time of my life. I have so many memories from my first season and I had one goal in my mind. It was to make the OUA All-Star team. At the end of the year I achieved my goal and was named to the OUA All-Star team and had also received national awards. I was shocked when I received USPORTS Rookie of the Year but it wouldn’t have been possible without my teammates and coaches. I got the opportunity to travel to Nova Scotia and watch the national championships and that will always be a memory. 

I scored 0 goals in my rookie season. It is something I want to improve on for my upcoming season. I have worked hard this summer to prepare and played League 1 Ontario with my summer team simcoe rovers fc. I ended the summer season with 10 goals. It has taken me time to improve my goal stat but I tried my best to prepare for this september in order to help my team succeed. 

I look forward to sharing my current experiences! 

St.Kitts and Nevis Women’s National Team 🔶

Playing for the St.Kitts and Nevis Women’s National Team (SKNWNT) has given me some of the best experiences of my life so far. 

After being cut from Team Ontario I had to consider other options to give myself opportunities that would help me become a better player. With the help of my dad we reached out and emailed the SKNWNT stating that I have family from the island. Both my grandparents on my dad’s side were born and grew up in St.Kitts so I was able to get my Kittian citizenship and passport. SKNWNT responded to my email asking for film and within a couple of days we got a response stating that they were interested and as a 14 year old at the time they wanted me to be apart of the U20 team for an upcoming tournament. 

I flew down to play in the U20 tournament and after that I got called up to play for the senior team at the age of 15. I have been playing for the senior team ever since and have played in big stadiums in Texas, Costa Rica, Guatemala and many more countries! I have got to experience olympic and world cup qualifier tournaments playing against some of the best teams in the world. I have made history with both the U20 and senior teams. Playing for a senior team on a international stage at just the age of 15 has for sure pushed me to become better both on and off the field. 

There are many cool experiences I have playing for the SKWNT that I will be sharing later on :) 

Coaching 🔶

I started coaching in grade 9 as a volunteer coach for a U8 girls rep team (my sisters team). It has been 6 years since I started and I now have my coaching liscenses. 

Over the years I have coached many female teams between the ages of 7 and 14. It took a couple of years for me to notice how coaching helped me as a player and how it also helps many young female athletes. 

First, coaching helped me see and understand a different part of the game. I started thinking more in my own games and tried to solve issues on the field as if I was coaching. Coaching taught me the importance of communication, problem solving, and team work. I know coaching is a factor that really helps develop my game and make me a better player. 

Secondly, my coaching experiences have really taught me the importance of female mentors in sport. I see how important it is for younger female athletes to have a bond with a older female athlete. Nothing against male coaches but I can see the difference with how a younger female athlete responds to a older female coach in comparison to a male coach. As a female coach, I have developed relationships with players to not only help them in sport but in life. I have helped young female players develop confidence both on and off the field. 

I continue to encourage females to get into coaching because it not only helps you but it truly does mean something to a little girl who is scared to go to soccer practice. 


Team Ontario/Bump In The Road 🔶

In my early teens I played OPDL (Ontario Player Development League). I was selected 2 years in a row to play for Team Ontario but was cut in the 3rd year. 

Team Ontario has given me a lot of good experiences but also taught me many lessons. It was the first time I was exposed to such a competitive environment. I wasn’t use to starting games on the bench. At the time I remember being grateful to be there. The little playing time I got did not stop me from working my hardest. I took the opportunity to ask many questions and to try and get as much feedback as I could. 

I was devastated when I was cut in the 3rd year. But as months/years passed by I realized it was a lesson for me. Ever since that day I have pushed myself to limits that I never thought I would ever do. I have put myself in uncomfortable positions to push myself to become better. I challenged myself by playing with older females the following year. One of my coaches sent me a letter to remind me to never give up a couple weeks later. I still have the letter today and remember the words in that letter to push myself on days were I am not performing my best. 

The lesson here is that sports can disappoint you at times but these are chances for you to learn and grow or for you to choose to give up.

Just Starting Out 🔶

I started playing soccer for fun with my friends in house league at a very young age. I remember most of my houseleague years all because it was fun. 

Around the age of 9, I decided to try out for the Aurora FC rep team. My dad encouraged me to go and I wanted to do it because it meant I would get to play more. I started off on the tier 2 team. I didn’t compare myself to other girls or wish I had been on the tier 1 team. I work hard every practice and game just because I loved playing for the fun of it. After a year, I was moved to the tier 1 team. I didn’t put much pressure on myself during this time because soccer was still about fun for me.  

The reason I am the player I am today is all because of the fun I had as a kid while playing soccer. My youth soccer career has built me into the player I am today and helped me fall in love with the sport. 

If you're not having fun, it’s hard to enjoy what you're doing!

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