Bossio Takes the First Step to Citizenship!
Juan Carlos Bossio, a staple of the New York Adult Program, is doing all the right things off the field. In January, he attended an orientation at the New York Public Library to enroll in English classes. After taking a placement test, Bossio began classes on Saturday mornings at the Aguilar Library in Harlem. He says, “The teacher only speaks English, which is very nice because it makes us learn fast!” Juan Carlos is a native of Peru, but dreams of becoming an American citizen after living here for the past nine years. Once he finishes his English classes, he plans to earn his GED and to go through the naturalization process to realize his dream of becoming an American citizen!
The Young Ladies from SSUSA Sacramento’s Oak Park Program Share Their Experience!
First FREE all girls’ Street Soccer USA program in Oak Park kicked off early January through a partnership with the City of Sacramento Parks and Rec at the Oak Park Community Center. This is the first all- girls soccer program that has been offered to girls in the Oak Park community with the objective of giving the girls their own space to play, learn the game, have fun and make new friends. The program will be 8 weeks long, open for ages 8-17 and all levels of experience. We have volunteers from the community, the Lady Salamanders Team and current players at Sacramento State and American River College. For many of the girls SSUSA has been their first introduction to soccer and the only team they play on, we are hoping that with a positive experience with the game and the opportunity to learn how to play earlier, these girls will go on to play on their junior high and high school teams. At the end of our 8 week program we will be partnering with Sacramento State women’s team to host a mini tournament where the young girls will be placed on a team with college players and have the experience to spend the day playing with them and also learning more about college and what it is like to be a college athlete.
Read why these girls are enjoying being a part of the community club:
Mia: “It’s fun cause I get to kick a ball and learn to pass it”
Maddy: “Soccer is amazing and inspires me to be a better person everyday”
Angelynn: “I’m feeling positive”
Mia L:“If I can then you can”
Sabrina: “I like that it’s a place for girls and that I learn different things about soccer like good sportsmanship. and no boys cause they always hog the ball”
Angelina: “I like coming to soccer because of my friends and I like to have fun”
Gianna: “I love soccer cause I get to hang out with all new people”
Special Visit from San Jose Earthquake Soccer Star & SSUSA National Ambassador, Tommy Thompson!
In between pre-season training trips, San Jose Earthquakes Midfielder and SSUSA National Ambassador, Tommy Thompson, came out to support the SSUSA-Bay Area Youth in the Tenderloin Neighborhood in San Francisco. He had inspirational words for the inner-city youth, sharing his story of how he has overcome adversity and challenges to achieve his goal of becoming a professional soccer player. In addition to sharing the various life skills and lessons he has learned during his journey to the top, he impressed the youth with his soccer skill. The Tenderloin Youth look forward to attending a SJ Quakes Game this season, and watching Tommy on the big stage!
Leading by Example – Meet SSUSA Chicago’s Allstar Player & Coach, Estrella Villa
Estrella Villa has been a strong leader since she was young. At age 2, Estrella’s family moved the the US from Mexico. Living in the states illegally, her family was determined to make it, seeking better opportunities and a true future for their children. With Estrella’s dad working two jobs, Estrella took care of her two younger siblings while spending any of her free time helping her mother with household chores. She learned the importance of hardwork, a character trait she brings to the table with each new challenge. This hard work has reflected on her school work, achieving a 3.8/4.0 GPA with high hopes to attend North Park University. Her passion for a “better life” goes beyond her grades, as she leads both the girls community club team, while assisting as a coach on SSUSA Chicago’s boys community club team. Estrella sets the bar high, leading by example and showing her community at SSUSA what a true leader looks like.
SSUSA’s New Program Manager, Mikayla Campbell, Hits the Ground Running in LA!
Since 1995, Mikayla Campbell has been inherently connected to the intersectional needs of those suppressed by structural impediments. Mikayla is a Los Angeles native of Northridge in particular. She studied Entrepreneurship and African-American Studies at Loyola Marymount, recently graduating in May 2017 and earning her Bachelor of Business Administration. While at Loyola Marymount, Mikayla was a Division 1 athlete at the university, devoting two years to the Women’s Soccer team. Following this, and to diversify her experience, she spent a semester at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, a summer session in Barcelona, Spain, and finally participated in an immersion program in Cuba. Mikayla takes a particular interest in social entrepreneurship, especially in regard to underrepresented groups and sports within the Los Angeles landscape. She joins Street Soccer USA as our first Program Manager in Los Angeles.
Before joining our team, Mikayla was a Foundation Assistant at LA84 Foundation, a grantor of Street Soccer USA, Los Angeles. She initially learned about Street Soccer USA’s work when she was assigned the role of coordinating the pilot program launch and press event to be held on the LA84 campus. Here she developed relationships with the SSUSA team, and a strong interest in the organization’s work shortly ensued, perhaps driven by her commitment to the plight of communities of color and her interest in the role she could play in the soccer community being both black and a woman. Conversations of the importance of representation and the need to increase the number of women coaching sport had provoked her to consider a career in this industry, as she admits she did not necessarily ever see herself back on the field. On the contrary, the opportunity to work with Street Soccer USA came at just the right time in her blossoming career, and was welcomed with an open mind and an open heart.
Mikayla perceives her work with Street Soccer USA as an opportunity to begin eradicating barriers for communities of color. Mikayla looks forward to taking advantage of her seat at the table, listening to the needs of the communities she works with, and growing alongside the youth she seeks to inspire.
