ASHLY GARCIA
My name is Ashly Garcia Garibay, I was born June of 2006 in Fairfield CA but raised in Sacramento CA. I am currently 16 years old , a junior at Rio Linda highschool. My goal as of right now is to receive my associates degree at American river college, while still being a full time highschool student. I am a student athlete, participating in sports such as cross country, and soccer. My main sport. I do other things outside of school other than sports. I also work a part time job. My father is from Teocuitatlan de Corona Jalisco and my mom is from Jalisco too. My father did not receive any education, on the other hand my dad was able to support my mom in being able to at least get her high school diploma in her mid 30’s. I first started playing soccer at a local organization called Ayso. I started around 6 or 7 then at around 10 I joined Azteca and that's when I started playing Sunday leagues. I have an older brother who is basically the reason I met Rose. He is also a member of Azteca Fc, he is currently a senior in highschool. My first language was English but I also speak fluent spanish. My associates degree is in business. I hope to attend San Diego State after I graduate highschool and earn my BA in business and management , and potentially earn a Masters in that area.
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One of my hardest challenges in my early childhood was having to learn to adapt to the life of an immigrant moving constantly, due to more personal reasons. My parents are both immigrants, since before I was born they worked in the flea market down at napa vallejo. So my whole life I grew up working.This was our main source of income and it wasn't much but it was enough for us to make a sustainable living. I would say this mentally wore the child in me out, to not be able to go out and make friends because there was no time for that , to not be able to participate in extracurricular activities or sports because there wasn't the sufficient money for that. Though this wore me out it built character in me, thanks to this i'm a responsible smart and hardworking person.
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My primary position in soccer has always been defense, but when I started playing on Primero de Mayos women's team I started playing winger and striker, which I ended up growing much better like in those positions. Some of the toughest life lessons I've learned through soccer was that without hustle, talent will only carry you so far. Soccer built a champion mentality on me not only on the pitch but also in the real world, work and school. I play soccer because I fell in love with the sport. I found a great passion for it. My physical health has always been good. I never really saw soccer as a way to get better physical health, but I did see it as a way to get better mental health. Stepping onto the field is like a pain killer, I can destress my mind. I'm not focused on anything but my game and it's a break from real life work and school. Soccer gave me a reason to keep striving in life. Apart from all of my down sides in my life it gives me something to look forward to, the best i could explain it, is that soccer is my comfort place.
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I started getting coached by Rose Shoen in 2017 when I was 10 years old, I have now been mentored by her for 6 years. I have never gotten into conflict with Rose as when she helped me and mentored me I saw it as her seeing that I was falling off track and she was putting me back on track. I never saw her being hard on me as punishment or her not liking me because that has never been the case. She will work with anyone who wants the help, she will make something out of nothing no matter the circumstance. She has guided me through hard patches in school, soccer and life. I have gotten the best advice from her. I struggled for a while in my math class and she got me a tutor, and has helped me herself whenever I reached out to her. One of the most important lessons Rose has taught me that I still think about every day is that even if you don't know where you are going, go with confidence. Rose has influenced my life in many ways. She has been my coach, my teacher, and my best friend. I am grateful for all the things she has done for me, the opportunities she has given to me, and time and effort she has put into helping me. Rose gave me a community and a family, Azteca Fc.
-Ashly Garcia