Please share a bit of background about yourself.
Soccer has always been my first love. My dad was the biggest soccer fan I knew and really instilled his love for the beautiful game in me from a very young age. Growing up I idolized the 99ers and I knew I always wanted sports to be part of my life. After losing my dad to cancer, I was able to keep our shared passion for the game alive by pursuing a career in sports broadcasting. My career has allowed me to live out the passion I have for the game every day when I am at work. Now, I've been the pre/post-game show host for the Philadelphia Union for the past 5 years and a sideline reporter covering MLS for FS1 and the NWSL on CBS Sports. I feel truly blessed to say that I love my job.
All pathways are different; how did you get to where you are?
I decided to study sports journalism while I was in high school and applied to all the best journalism schools in the country. After I decided on the University of Maryland, I made sure to get involved in everything I could on campus. During school, I had 7 internships that taught me so many different things about this industry and helped me build valuable relationships. I started off as a production assistant but worked my way on-camera and now I've been covering professional men's and women's soccer for the last 5 years.
What do you love about your current job?
I love the storytelling aspect of it. Every game-day, I get the opportunity to share with the audience something new and interesting about the match that they've never heard before. I get to share inside information, direct from the sidelines, that people at home can't hear anywhere else. I have such respect for what these coaches and athletes do, and I feel really blessed to be able to help tell their stories.
What is one piece of advice you wished someone had told you before starting this career path?
The road to success isn't perfectly linear. There are going to be peaks and dips along the way, but as long as you are always trying to move forward, you are making progress. Some days you will make a lot of progress, others you feel like you're not moving at all. Just stick with it during those slower, more difficult times and it will make the big moments of achievement feel all the more special!