My mom grabbed the pack-and-play, my dad grabbed his boots, and I was strapped into my car seat. We were off to watch my dad play rugby with his older brother. My mom, sister, and I joined him on the pitch in front-row sideline seats. My dad sported black-eyes and scabbed knees in all of our family photos and birthday parties. Finally, when I was old enough, our family tradition, from my uncle to my dad, was now passed to me. I was finally part of the rugby family! To me, rugby family means unwavering support and somewhere to feel at home, all across the globe. Simple beginnings at the U-8 touch level have carried me to my new home at Queens University of Charlotte, where I will play NCAA D1 Women’s rugby. Rugby family is especially meaningful to me, as my dad is my coach. Rugby has become a language I share with my father and my teammates. It is a language that those who have never played, can never hope to decipher. This language has fostered an understanding and support, the kind only found in a family. My family began its foundations at the ASU rugby club with my dad and his teammates. Branded with all kinds of rugby nicknames, they learned the game together. Now as fathers, their love of the game has grown to include all of their children. We all spend weekends at each other's houses and play together on the same youth club team. This group of people is where I have learned to be myself and feel completely included. Rugby has given me a home that extends beyond the sport, it is a community that I know I will always feel valued and completely myself in. Through my family I have been blessed with the opportunity to continue growing our household on a college team. I am currently committed to play rugby at Queens University of Charlotte.I plan on obtaining my bachelors in Biology and eventually pursue a master’s degree in Genetics to become a Genetic Counselor. My goal to become a Genetic Counselor reflects the same desire I have on the pitch: to create a home for others through support, care, and understanding. I visited Queens in November of this year and knew instantaneously I could have a new home in North Carolina. The girls there spoke the same language I have studied back at home with my rugby family. I cannot wait to share that language and contribute to such a prestigious team.