Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a ball in my hands or was bouncing one off my feet.
As a kid, I wanted to be like my favorite American soccer player Clint Dempsey. I watched his every move.
But at barely 5-feet-5-inches tall, my dream felt impossible.
Until one day, while watching a Premier League match, I witnessed things I had never seen before—the most mind-blowing saves goalkeepers could perform. It was then that I was convinced that this was what I wanted to do.
At first, I was a goalkeeper but I eventually transitioned to striker. Eventually, I took my first shot at an academy. That is when soccer became more than just a hobby.
After I was accepted into the Deportivo Cali Soccer Club, I spent two years training every weekday, battling through exhaustion and self-doubt.
One morning, with the sun blaring, feet burning and mouth dry, I ran through my usual routine. Halfway through a drill heavy on agility, I felt a twinge in my right knee.
The discomfort came and went, manageable until one afternoon when my knee gave out and I fell to the ground in excruciating pain.
I was rushed to the hospital. The doctor diagnosed me with runner’s knee, a common injury that causes discomfort under the kneecap. I needed a cartilage replacement. Reality hit me like a soccer ball flush to the face: I was devastated because I couldn’t play for months.
A year after the surgery, I still couldn’t play and soon realized my athletic career was done. The sport I loved was suddenly stripped away from me.
But then, in March of 2025, everything changed.
As I scrolled through the Instagram page of a photographer I followed, I was mesmerized by the photos he posted. Something about the way he captured the essence of games with his lens lit a spark in me.
In that moment, I realized that if I could no longer play, I could find a different way to stay involved.
I bought a Canon R50 and started photographing anything I could—my friends’ pickup games, my old club’s matches or whatever was within reach.
But when the club season ended and I graduated from Coral Gables Senior High School, I had nowhere to go.
Driven by determination, I pursued a summer internship.
Despite my limited portfolio, I emailed about 20 clubs. Of the two that responded, I chose to work with the Miami Athletic Club, a team competing in the United Soccer League Two that allows college players to stay fit over the summer.
That decision sent me on a journey that solidified my love for the craft. From May to July, I served as a photographer, videographer and content manager, creating in-game videos, photo collages and graphics.
For the first time in a long time, I didn’t long for the athletic career I lost. Instead, I saw an opportunity to start a new chapter.
This fall, I’m bringing my talent to The Reporter. I look forward to capturing images and videos that tell the stories of the athletes at Miami Dade College as I inch closer to my new dream—becoming a social media manager for a professional sports team.
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