I was born and raised in Ohio by two Jesus-loving parents. I have three siblings, and we are now all over the world. I started playing soccer at 4 years old, which happened to be the same year I accepted Jesus as my savior. I went to Christian school my whole life, except for two weeks in second grade. I was fortunate to play for the Columbus Crew’s youth academy and then at Messiah College. Those experiences shaped my life and created a way for me to do what I do now. 

Going into college, I felt a call from God towards full-time ministry, but I chose to study Engineering instead. During my freshman year, I was influenced by my teammates to take steps towards ministry more fully. An invitation from my assistant coach, who was an MAI alumnus, led to regular tutoring with Somali refugees that always ended with some soccer. My sophomore year, I studied abroad in Israel and then went on a Missions Trip with MAI to Columbia and it was in those experiences that I witnessed the power of sports to transcend culture and language. My senior year, I was finishing up my degree in Christian Ministry and trying to decide what to do when a friend came back from a month with MAI with a totally different persona and spirituality. Seeing the change in him made me want the same for myself, so I reached out and signed up for a one-year internship and never left.

I have two titles now. First, as our Youth Director, I support our coaches across both volleyball and soccer to use their platforms for God’s Kingdom. When I am not on the field or in the gym coaching alongside them, I am setting vision for our teams and programs, onboarding and training staff, managing finances, recruiting players, and all the other behind-the-scenes tasks that are needed. Second, as our USL2 head coach, I get to work with young adult players who are developing beliefs about themselves, the world, spirituality, and sports. Through the competitive team environment, we get to walk with them through a summer to hopefully influence and guide them through that process.