Anderson Women's Rugby Scholarship

What "rugby family" means to me is to feel like I’m part of something greater than myself. It means I’m surrounded by people who have my back no matter what the scoreboard says, weather circumstances, or what’s going on. From the very first time I stepped onto a rugby field, I realized something was very important. A team may win, but until they become a family, they haven’t really achieved anything. That’s what makes rugby more than just a sport; it’s a home. But before I ever had a rugby family, I had my real family. My family is the foundation of my life. My mom is my greatest inspiration. As a single mother, she works hard for me and my two younger siblings. She is the epitome of strength, independence, and resilience. She has sacrificed her comfort for the sake of me and my siblings, so that we never miss a meal, never go without support, and never stop believing in ourselves. My siblings look up to me the way I look up to my mom, and that inspires me to be better every single day of my life. Whatever I do, every practice, every class, every game, is for them. As a first-generation college student and a proud Latina, being recruited to play Division I rugby for La Salle University was one of the proudest moments of my life. It represented more than athletic achievement. It was a dream come true, it was a dream realized because of the years of hard work, faith, and unspoken sacrifices of my family. Rugby is not just something that I play, it is my dream. It is something that gives me the motivation to move forward when I feel tired. It is something that makes me feel alive and makes me feel like myself. While I have successfully completed my dream of playing rugby in college, my dream does not end here. My dream is to become a captain of my team one day, not to seek glory, but to give back to my team what rugby has given to me: discipline, responsibility, courage, and unity. My dream is also to earn a spot in a USA Rugby camp, to challenge myself to play at the highest level that I can. La Salle’s rugby program is still developing our systems, our culture, our identity. That excites me. I did not choose La Salle to simply join something established; I chose it to help build something meaningful. I want to be part of creating a legacy that future women will be proud to join. That is what rugby family truly means: commitment to growth, belief in one another, and a shared vision for something greater than ourselves. This award is not just about my family, as it will alleviate my mother’s financial burden. It is about giving myself the opportunity to succeed in my academic and athletic journey. It is about giving myself the opportunity to train hard, to focus hard, and to take advantage of USA Rugby camps without any hesitation. Most of all, this award is about bringing me one step closer to creating a future where I can give back to my family as they have always given to me. Rugby family shaped who I am. My real family is the reason I fight for every opportunity. Together, they define my identity resilient, determined, and driven by love. This scholarship is not just financial support; it is an investment in my dream, my family’s sacrifices, and the legacy I am determined to build.

A rugby family, to me, is the one constant thread that has followed me through every chapter of my life. I have been playing for over a decade across D1, D2, club D1, club D2, club D3, WPL, and even playing internationally in China. No matter where I have gone or what has changed, rugby has always been there, steady, grounding, and welcoming. When life feels overwhelming or uncertain, I know exactly where to go: the pitch. There is something about practice that resets everything. And when I land in a new city, I do not feel like a stranger for long. I find a team, and instantly, I have found my people. Let us be real: when you are a rugby player, you are never truly alone in this lifetime. That sense of belonging is rare, and rugby gives it so freely. What I love most is that a “rugby family” is not limited to who is on the field. It is everyone, full-time players, part-time players, the ones who show up when they can, and even those who have had to step away (though I fully plan on being the 70-year-old still trying to sneak into a match). Once you are part of this community, you are in it for life. The support does not fade when the final whistle blows; it grows. Some of my closest friendships were formed over a decade ago through rugby, and I genuinely cannot imagine my life without those people. Whether we are playing together, cheering each other on, or just catching up, there is a deep, unspoken bond that comes from sharing this sport. As I head into my doctoral program, I know rugby will continue to be my anchor. On the days when everything feels like too much, it will be my outlet, my reset, and my reminder of my strength. I look forward to pushing my physical limits and showing up for my teammates and, most importantly, myself. I oddly enough look forward to running my twice-a-year Broncos to measure myself and remain competitive. I love the game because I am competing against myself to make myself better for my teammates, and to me, that is what rugby and being a part of a rugby family are about. Showing up as my best self so that on game day my teammates know I always have their backs on and off the pitch. I am excited to keep building connections, pushing myself, and sharing this next milestone with a community that has already given me so much.

Rugby family means belonging in a world where, for a long time, I had to survive without it. Before I ever stepped onto a pitch, I knew what it felt like to fight—but not for a score, not for a trophy, and not with a team beside me. I fought through instability, loss, and years of feeling like I had to carry every weight alone. I knew how to be strong, but I didn’t know what it felt like to be supported. That changed the day I found rugby. Rugby became the first place where no one asked me to be perfect—just present. A place where my toughness wasn’t questioned, my story wasn’t judged, and my voice wasn’t ignored. When my cleats first touched the grass, I felt something I hadn’t felt in years: safety. A different kind of safety. The kind that comes from knowing people will run with you, defend you, yell for you, and lift you off the ground even when life has knocked you down long before the match ever began. On the field, I wasn’t the girl who lost her mother too young. I wasn’t the girl who had to navigate homelessness, instability, or the pain of being left to figure out adulthood alone. I wasn’t the girl who had to grow up faster than she should have. In rugby, I was simply part of a team—needed, valued, and believed in. Every tackle felt like releasing something I was never allowed to drop. Every ruck felt like reclaiming territory life had taken away from me. Every huddle felt like a home I built with my own hands. Rugby family means someone sees the warrior in you long before you see it in yourself. My teammates taught me that strength isn’t just surviving hardship—it’s letting others stand with you in the places where you always had to stand alone. They taught me that leadership doesn’t always come from having the loudest voice, but from being the one who refuses to give up, even when life has given more reasons to quit than to continue. They taught me to trust again. As I look toward college, I don’t just hope to play rugby—I need it. Rugby grounds me. It gives me a reason to stay disciplined, to stay focused, and to stay connected in a world that once taught me to rely only on myself. As I pursue a rigorous biology major, prepare for military service in the Marine Corps, and work toward becoming a doctor, rugby reminds me that I don’t have to walk any path alone ever again. It grows the leadership I want to bring into the service. It sharpens the courage I want to bring into medicine. And it nurtures the compassion I want to give back to every girl who feels like she doesn’t belong anywhere. College rugby isn’t just a goal—it’s the next chapter of my healing. I want to play at a competitive level, continue developing as an athlete, and become the kind of teammate who makes others feel seen, safe, and valued, just like rugby once did for me. I want to be part of expanding women’s rugby so younger girls know they have a space in this sport, in this community, and in this world. Rugby family means everything to me because it gave me back pieces of myself I thought I lost forever. Rugby gave me strength, but my rugby family gave me hope. And with that hope, I’m ready for the future.

Rugby became part of my life during my freshman year, and from the moment I joined, I felt something I never expected, which was a sense of belonging. Growing up, my mom and I moved constantly. I never stayed in one place long enough to feel like I had a home. But with rugby, I found consistency, support, and a family that stood beside me no matter what. Joining the Engage Foundation in high school helped me see what I was capable of. I started as a player, but soon, I was coaching younger kids, mentoring teammates, and serving on the board. Leading practices became a passion of mine as I focused on teaching skills like character building, teamwork, and sportsmanship to the young athletes we worked with. I also helped lead community outreach that grew our league from 50 to over 140 kids. I saw how rugby could create a space where kids felt valued, safe, and seen. Just like it did for me. Outside of Engage, I've continued growing as both an athlete and a leader. I played for the Big Dawgs under the Arizona league, where I earned Forward of the Year, Golden Hammer, and Ruck Star. These awards represent more than athletic skill. They reflect the energy and commitment I bring to every match and every teammate. In 2023, we won the Rugby Arizona U16 Championship, a moment that reminded me how powerful a team can be when we truly trust each other. Then, I moved to the Ravens Girls' High School Rugby team, where I developed further by transitioning from 7s to 15s. This showed me how much every player matters. It helped me grow in how I think, play, and lead on the field. I never thought that my enjoyment of rugby would lead me to be selected to represent the U.S. with the Rugby Texas Girls in the summer of 2023, competing in the Heidelberg Sevens in Germany and the United World Games in Austria. I also joined the Arizona Bobcats Rugby Academy in 2024, a select-side team for top players across the state. Traveling and playing on these platforms taught me how to stay grounded while pushing my limits. I learned how to lead under pressure, respect the culture of every team I joined, and rise to the challenge of representing more than just myself. This year, I was honored to be accepted to play rugby at Penn State. That opportunity is proof of how far rugby has carried me and how much further I want to go. I plan to study finance, inspired by the financial struggles I experienced growing up. I want to use what I learn to help build programs and opportunities for youth who, like me, need someone to believe in them. To me, being a part of a rugby family means more than just teammates. It means showing up with consistency, caring like siblings, and building each other up when things are hard. It means leading by example and never losing sight of the mission, which, to me, means growing together, serving others, and lifting the next generation higher. Rugby didn't just teach me how to play. It taught me how to lead, how to give back, and how to believe in something bigger than myself. And that's exactly what I hope to carry with me into college and beyond.

Rugby is more than just a sport to me, it’s a family. I first realized this when I was struggling to find my place. Before COVID, I got caught up in the pressure to win and prove myself. I pushed myself to the limit, trying to lead by example, believing that my worth depended on being in first place. Losing felt like failure, and over time, I lost sight of what I truly loved about rugby: the freedom, aggression, and the community. When the pandemic hit, I realized how much I missed rugby, practices, and my teammates. I started to mature and understand that rugby isn’t just about victories, it’s about the bond it creates and the connection it fosters. That’s when I rediscovered my love for the sport, not for the scoreboard, but for the way it made me feel part of something much bigger. A coach noticed my passion and invited me to train at a rugby academy. At first, I was intimidated. Back at my club, I had been one of the top players, but here I was starting at the bottom. I wasn’t the best anymore, but I embraced the challenge. Surrounded by athletes who shared the same drive and passion, I learned that rugby is about more than individual performance. It’s about being part of a team where the strength of the group lifts up each member. Rugby became my anchor during a time when my family couldn’t fully support my journey. Growing up in Riverside, my parents weren’t able to attend my games or practices, and they didn’t have the resources to help me chase my dreams. My dad worked long hours, and with only one car, I often ran to practice. I didn’t ask for money for gear or travel because I knew my family was doing their best. But my rugby family stepped in. Teammates gave me rides, their families made sure I had meals during tournaments, and they celebrated every victory with me as if it were their own. When my parents couldn’t be at my graduation, my rugby team surprised me with a celebration. Those moments showed me what rugby family truly means by support, love, and lifting each other up when it feels like the world isn’t giving you much. This community of people has shaped who I am today. Now, as a sophomore in college, I’m living a reality I once thought was impossible. Growing up in Riverside, where many kids fall into the same cycle, I never imagined playing rugby in college. But thanks to rugby, I’ve experienced new places, met incredible people, and opened doors I never thought would be there. I’m now playing at a high level with a scholarship, a testament to all the hard work and dedication I’ve put into the sport. Rugby has shown me that there is so much more than the life I knew in Riverside, and it’s given me the courage to reach for dreams I once thought were out of reach. Looking forward, I want to carry the values I’ve learned from my rugby family into my college career. My goal isn’t just to play rugby at a higher level, but to continue growing in an environment where teamwork, discipline, and hard work are celebrated. I want to be part of a team that holds each other accountable, challenges each other to improve, and builds each other up, just like my rugby family did for me. I know that being part of such a team will help me succeed both on the field and in the classroom.

I’ve always wanted to play a high‑contact sport—rugby, football, or lacrosse—but growing up, the closest I came was as a goalkeeper on my high school soccer team. My single mother discouraged me: it was simply unheard of for girls to take part in such “dangerous” activities. When I arrived at UNC–Chapel Hill, however, rugby quickly became one of my greatest passions. I joined the team right after training camp, excited to finally test myself in a sport built on strength and teamwork. From day one on the pitch, I found my rugby family. During our very first practice, I noticed teammates who, like me, had more masculine features, spoke loudly, and refused to be confined by traditional ideas of what it means to be a girl. Our three coaches, club alumni who identify as transmasc or butch, welcomed us with a promise that this would be a safe space. They taught us, among many other things, to never apologize for making a tackle or missing a lineout. Coming from an environment where I was always taught to say “sorry,” I found it liberating to learn that in rugby, we own every hit, every mistake, and every success together. That sense of belonging made it easier to navigate the steep learning curve of six hours of practice a week, plus games every weekend. By November 2024, I scored my first try in 15s, and the team marked the moment with a brief induction chant—“Hail to the Warrior”—that instantly felt like a rite of passage. Beyond the thrill of scoring, it was the shared celebration that convinced me rugby was more than a sport, it was home. Playing on the college team has given me confidence I never expected. There’s something empowering about knowing you can tackle someone twice your size or hold firm in an eight‑man scrum as a flank. Looking ahead, I hope to leverage that confidence into community outreach: coaching youth clinics in underrepresented neighborhoods and, eventually, joining an adult league after graduation. I want to show boys and girls alike that strength, resilience, and teamwork aren’t limited by gender. Balancing classes, lab work, and rugby hasn’t been easy. Some days I’d move straight from morning lectures to a work‑study shift in the lab, then to practice, stretching my day from 9 AM until 10 PM—still needing to fit homework in whenever I could. Because I rely on work‑study to afford my education, I’ve often had to choose between extra shifts and extra reps on the pitch. Missing practices or games to earn money has been one of my hardest sacrifices. This scholarship would relieve much of that financial pressure, giving me the flexibility to remain fully committed to the team without jeopardizing my grades or living expenses. It would mean trading a work shift for an extra strength session or recovery day—time I could use to grow both as a player and as a student. Rugby has become the place where I can be myself—expressing a more masculine side without judgment, learning to communicate clearly under pressure, and caring for my teammates in ways I never anticipated. I’m grateful for every tackle, every try, and every moment I’ve shared with my rugby family. With your support, I hope to continue building that community on and off the field, using the values I’ve learned to lift others up long after my college career ends.

As someone who grew up an athlete--started with picking dandelions on the soccer field at 4, and continuing to this day--I can say I've been a part of my fair share of families. It's something people who don't play team sports wouldn't understand. The bond created when you struggle, physically and emotionally, with a group of other girls' you'd otherwise never talk to is unparalleled. I struggled to find a team, or rather a family, that would truly accept me before I entered college. Because of that, I switched sports constantly. Soccer, lacrosse, flag football, swimming, sailing, tennis, basketball, volleyball, cross country--all of them with their own comforts, but none that would really accept me as I was. I wasn't a product of my town like the rest of my teammates. I was black and gay and raised in a single parent household. To my teammates, no matter where I went, there was always something off about me. I wasn't white enough or rich enough--they couldn't relate to me, and so I was outcasted. I grew to resent the sports I'd played, and by the time I graduated high school, I'd decided that I wouldn't join any sports in college, for fear that I'd end up being the third-wheel on my own team. I'm embarrassed to say my resolve crumbled rather quickly. I was approached by the captains--MY captains--of the women's club rugby team at my college, and I was intimidated enough to accept the invitation into their team-chat (they asked if I knew what rugby was, and if I knew how to play: I did not). 3 weeks later, I found myself getting tackled, run over, and stepped on in my first ever rugby game; it was the most fun I'd had in months. What really made me decide to stay after getting rocked was my teammates, who I'd barely known at that point. There was such an intense sense of community I witnessed that day. Screaming out our teammates names, cheering them on when they made a good play, losing their minds when we scored a try, passing out water and answering the many (MANY) questions us rookies asked. It didn't end when the game was over though, afterwards I attended my first rugby social, and that was when I realized that most of my fellow teammates were fully committed to fostering relationships with ALL of their teammates, not just the ones who looked like them. Over the course of the semester, those 22 strangers ended up becoming my best friends. Rugby family to me is a place of unparalleled acceptance and laughter. It's driving to a random frat house at 1 in the morning to go fireman carry your drunk friends out. It's watching lego batman and having sleepovers. It's running faster than you thought possible, dog tired after 45 minutes of straight running and tackling, and scoring a try. It's having your teammates circle you after a try, singing the Try-song, and then doubling down. My rugby family is as solid and important to me as my blood family, and there is little I wouldn't do for those girls.