Giving Back To My Family

Roza Mamo, USA

Roza Mamo is a high school senior, originally from Eritrea and living in Baltimore, USA. She plays football for her high school and with Soccer Without Borders (SWB). SWB is an international nonprofit that uses soccer as a vehicle for positive change. SWB Maryland provides a community for newcomer youth and their families by offering soccer, academic, and social-emotional support, with a focus on providing a safe space for female identifying participants to play.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your soccer life?

My name is Roza Mamo. My family and I are from Eritrea, but we lived in Egypt for a while. We fled violence in Eritrea when I was very young. I never played soccer when I was younger, I started with Soccer Without Borders (SWB) in middle school. 

SWB and soccer changed my life. I gained confidence, I learned how to work with others, I learned how to speak up for myself, and I got the best group of friends and coaches that became family - all because of soccer.  

I play for my high school team as well as the SWB high school girls team. We have an older and a younger team. I play on the older team, and I love playing with them. Games are fun and get really intense. Regardless of if we win or lose, we become closer after every game.  

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?

Everyone in these photos are my best friends, teammates, and younger kids that we coached during SWB’s summer school. We hope to be good role models for them by coaching them and supporting them with other things. The photos were taken at our high school girls’ practices and at the field where we coach for summer school. I tried to show how much my team means to me, as well as how much the younger kids we coach have impacted me. I am able to be a leader with those kids, support them, and be the person that SWB was for me when I first came to the USA.

Photos that are important to me are of the all-girls group from summer. The all-girls group means a lot to me, because that is really when I started to learn the most about myself and the importance of gender equality. The girls just look like they are having fun and feeling empowered and I love that. 

You can also see my friend Leila, she is such a badass. I think without saying much and being super humble, Leila inspires us all. Her talent makes anyone watch her play. She is the nicest and really just a great person to be around. Everyone’s team needs a Leila.

What is your favourite photo?

The photo of my best friends Aya and Ester shows how close we are as a team and how much supporting each other means to us. We have been through a lot as individuals and will continue to go through more and more as a team. 

Another favourite shows Melat sitting down. She is a younger player but also one of the most passionate players. She loves soccer more than anyone, watches the professional women’s leagues, and knows more professional women’s players than anyone I know. She was watching our team practice. I do not know why it feels so powerful to me, but it does. Maybe a younger player looking out at her team and just taking in that moment. 

Why is soccer important to you and your community?

Soccer is important to me because of everything it taught me, the community it gave me, and how I feel when I play it. Right now, I feel like I am at the peak of my soccer career. I am not sure I will play in college, we will see. But right now I feel the happiest and I feel like I have improved so much. My community is SWB and soccer is why we are together and why we have support in a new country or city. 

What ambitions do you have for the future?

I want to be successful for myself but also for my family. My mom and older siblings did a lot to get us where we are today. I want to become a nurse or doctor to be able to give back everything they gave me. A home, safety, and a future. I know it will be hard, but I work really hard for things that I am passionate about and whatever I put my mind to. I would love to come back and coach with SWB in the future as well.