In this new monthly series, “Mission Moments,” we will be featuring stories of coaches and staff who want to talk about why they are a part of Up2Us Sports and share specific moments they have experienced as living examples of our mission.

This month’s is Coach Yesenia, who is a coach at FLIPANY in Miami, Florida. Yesenia joined Up2Us Sports as a coach in May 2020. On her first level of Coach Training Institute she was a stand out participant and felt comfortable enough with us to share her story. Yesenia grew up in the foster care system and while she has a family now, she did not always feel that way growing up. As an Up2Us Coach one of her goals is to make her team feel like they are part of the family so no child has to feel the same way she did growing up. 

Below is a Q&A with Yesenia.

Why did you decide to serve as a Up2Us Coach?

I’m trying to get as much experience as I can working with children and the organization I currently work for explained to me what Up2Us Sports was and it just seemed perfect for me. 

What has been your most memorable moment from this service year so far?

Probably every nutrition class I’ve had with the Elementary and Middle Schoolers, because it’s not just me teaching them nutrition and health, but also them teaching me how to be more patient, more kind. The students teach me just as much as I teach them. 

What is a life skill that a coach may have taught you that you want to teach to your team? 

I played on the same travel soccer team with the same girls for about 5 years, and there was one girl on the team who wasn’t the friendliest person. But she was a great soccer player and an excellent team captain when it was time for her to step up. She kept us motivated during tough games and always cheered us when we made a good play. I respected her for that. That’s what I’d like to teach my students, respect for each other. That’s it’s okay to not like everyone they meet, but to treat everyone with kindness and respect no matter how they may feel about them.

Yesenia has been serving as an Up2Us Sports coach since May 2020, and she changes the game at FLIPANY in Miami, Florida thanks to support from AmeriCorps.