SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — On the field, 15-year-old Naima Castro is in her element. Having played soccer for most of her life, it’s the space she’s familiar with.
“Hopefully, I’ll make it to college. Go D-1. Get my skills out there and go pro,” she says.
But this week at the Let’s Go South Bay Girls Empowerment Soccer camp, she’s learning there’s a lot more to the game than what she’s used to doing on the field.
“Seeing the other side of soccer. Not everything is just physical. It’s more about how you feel and how other people feel,” she says.
And they’re learning this through different workshops and panels, focusing on self-awareness, health, wellness, and mental toughness.
“Encouraging other people to play, don’t be negative," Castro says. "Being negative impacts how you are. If you’re on the field and say you can’t do it. But if you’re good to yourself, it will be a good outcome.”
Momilana Aikans is a board member for Let’s Go South Bay. She says they wanted to make sure the girls had what they needed to feel empowered, from free swag to different resources.
"We hope they feel empowered to not be defined by their mistakes everything they need to succeed in life they already have in them because we've tried to give them tools to access them,” Aikans says.
Something Castro says she’s going to take with her as she continues on her soccer journey, hoping to inspire other female athletes along the way.
“I would tell them to never give up and keep on going. Especially for people of color, you don't see that many of us in these sports just keep on going if you never stop you'll make it,” Castro says.
