Hello everyone! This is most definitely going to be one of those lame “all about me” articles, but I’m gonna try and give you the gist and be as funny as I can (please laugh at all my lame jokes, I’m not as funny as I think I am). First, let me introduce myself. My name is Isabella, but most people call me Isa. I just barely turned eighteen in May (HOORAY! A LEGAL ADULT!!) and I’m a graduate from Como Park Senior High School, Class of 2022. My Soccer Story I’ve been playing soccer since I was three years old. It was the only sport I ever picked up on (was at least somewhat good at), and truly fell in love with. I played club soccer for the Saint Paul Blackhawks from the time I was nine and for the Como Girls Varsity team all my four years of high school. It was honestly a blast. I spent some of the best years of my life on that team, and I would give anything to relive those days. During the end of my junior year season at Como, I was elected to be the captain of our varsity squad, truly one of the greatest honors I was ever given. In my final season as a senior, we were granted the grand opportunity to play inside of the Minnesota United stadium at Allianz Field for our annual Mayor’s Cup. A unique game that is traditionally played between Como Park and Humboldt High. That is a day I will never forget, it was one truly of a kind.
I come from a background of soccer players. Being raised by two first-generation children of immigrants heavily impacted how much I was exposed to this sport. My mom was a first-generation college student to two wonderful Mexican immigrants (my grandparents obviously), while my father is an immigrant from Peru, who had to navigate this scary world we call home, in order to be successful. Oh! He went to college too, by the way. And then there’s me, Isa. The oldest of three to these beautiful individuals who I am lucky enough to call my parents. Growing up, soccer was a form of escapism for me. I played day in and day out, always loving every second I spent working on my skills. I was not one of those naturally talented, or “gifted” girls. It’s embarrassing to think about, but before I started improving, I was a horrible soccer player. But even so, I understood the game better than anyone else. I dedicated every second I spent playing to improving my skills. The talent I have now is all thanks to my hard work and dedication, and nothing more. Soccer was such a meaningful thing to me, not just because it was a healthy stress reliever, but because it gave me the opportunity to be whoever I wanted to be, and that meant so much to me in those moments that I couldn’t even begin to describe it. My Journey to Equal Time By the time I was a Sophomore in high school, I had been dabbling in story writing, not even realizing how much my love for writing had developed. Since I was a little girl, my parents had always exposed me to all different types of it. My dad, for one, is a poet. I grew up memorizing the words to his poems, and silently reciting them with him whenever he performed. My mother however, didn’t write, she read (and also edited all of mine and my dad’s writing, but you didn’t hear it from me). She always encouraged me to be reading books, and when I was old enough, sharing her taste in books with me. I started off with journaling, and writing poetry, soon realizing I was good at neither. And here is where my Sophomore year comes in. This is when I first began story writing. And ever since then, I’ve been in love with it.
The reason I wanted to join Equal Time Soccer isn’t because I think it’ll be easy, it’s because I think writing for them will push me and my writing even further (even though I’m not quite a journalist yet). And even better, I decided to put two of my favorite things together, soccer, and writing. My Beat That being said, my core “beat” will be the St. Thomas Women’s Soccer team. Personally, I’m super excited to start. I’m curious to see how the team works together, and what exactly their style of play is, considering I’ve never watched them before. Since I’m a former midfielder, I constantly pay attention to how the ball moves, and who’s filling the empty spaces. I’m also curious to see what style and formation will be used for the midfield, and what the players who fulfill that position are like. [Matt note: you all need to follow our Twitter replies closer. This news was out there :)] 
Some ways I will most likely cover the team is through Instagram and Twitter! I also highly enjoy taking (funny) pictures and videos as the game goes on. When the team is not playing, I’ll try and do some shows, or maybe even a podcast! I’m not quite sure yet, but keep an eye out for that! Some other things I want to cover is high school soccer! I’ll be focusing on the Como Park Cougars the most, but will also do some covering of Humboldt High School, and Washington Tech, and their development as their season goes on. I always like coming back home to where it all started, and always having a connection there. In my opinion, there’s a lot of overlooked talent in the Saint Paul district, and I want to show the world just how much power the overlooked and under-appreciated truly have. Send Me Your Ideas! And finally, we’ve reached the end of my babbling. But before anything, here’s how you can follow me:
I also want to hear from you! What do you want more coverage of? Who of St. Thomas do you want to see highlighted? Any ideas for what coverage you want to see on gameday? Any questions you have for me in general? Let me know! This has been the definitive guide to Isa! Thank you everyone.
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