Born and raised in Barbados, a small island in the Caribbean, sports has been a part of my life from the very beginning. I was introduced to the sport of football (soccer) at the age of 6 by my older brother. From that day on football has played a pivotal role in my development as a person. Participation in football taught me to dream and opened many doors that would allow me to succeed in life. Below is a short list of some of the opportunities provided to me through my involvement in football:

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• Age 8- Guest player for Manchester United Girls U12 team

• Age 11- First girl to captain a boys’ team and reach the finals of the Barbados National Primary School and Secondary School U14 tournaments

•  Age 12- Scholarship recipient to participate in Brad Friedel Soccer camp in Ohio, USA

• Age 13- Member of the Barbados Women’s U20 National Team Squad, Cuba

• Age 14- Invited to guest play with US youth club FC Delco, Pennsylvania, USA

• Age 15- Moved to United States alone to finish High School and pursue College Soccer Scholarship

• Age 16 – Barbados Women’s Senior Team Caribbean Football Union Tournament, Trinidad

• Age 17-20 – Member Purdue Women’s Soccer NCAA Division 1 Team, West Lafayette, Indiana

The above opportunities, as well as the people I have met along the way have highlighted the importance of sports in the lives of young people. Football, has the power to teach us many life skills, in addition to its ability to provide opportunities for people of all backgrounds to succeed in life. This is why I founded Raya34 Sports Inc.