What brought me to Brandeis?
Definitely the people.
I visited campus was walking around and connected with the players really well.
I actually remember specifically a moment where my mom and I were trying to find our car, and we were walking through campus and we were so lost.
And we actually ran into two women's soccer players and they were like,
Hey, you guys seem lost, can we help you?
And they actually walked, my mom and I, all the way back to our car
down here at Gosman.
And I like the questions that they were asking, just like so genuine and kind.
And I was like, like, these are the people. These are the people
As a young female athlete, I had these women in my life
who I saw coaching teams and holding positions that typically men have.
Denise was pivotal in me becoming a coach, becoming a head coach, and learning what is required to become successful
She played such an important role in who I am, and one thing she always taught me was Mary, recruit.
Recruit good players, but also make sure you're recruiting good people.
And I think that was her biggest impact on me and why our team has been so successful.
You know, I'm really fortunate enough that I was able to go to Brandeis,
I've been in my players shoes. I know the challenges that they experienced in the classroom,
you know, in the community.
And I really try to put myself in their shoes and understand what they're going through.
And I think, you know, yes, at times they need somebody who's going to push them and challenge them
and get them out of their comfort zone.
But I also think they need somebody to lean on.
My view of mentorship has evolved.
I viewed mentorship as helping people and like guiding them.
And because I was guided and I think, you know, how I view it now is that it's helping people make decisions, helping them make sure that they have the right resources, but also that they have the right support and having somebody who has your back and who's a mentor for you is is critical
This book, Tuesdays With Morrie, like the journey that Mitch and Morrie go on is something that inspires me and that I want to provide to my players.
You know, that that bond that, you know, 10, 20, 30 years down the road, they feel comfortable,
confident enough to come back to me.
That's my why, you know, my goal is to help them grow as young women and and be prepared
for that next step in their life.
Having these really strong female figures mentor me and then now me having the opportunity to lead Sabrina it shows me the legacy that you can create with your actions and with your impact and how we all have the ability to change lives.
Sab, I know we've talked a little bit about all of this and the importance of relationships,
mentorships, menteeships.
How have your relationships you know, here at Brandeis, how have they developed and how has
soccer, you know, played a role in that?
I feel like I'm just a very outgoing person.
So coming here really excited to make new friends and excited to have all these teammates
and everything, I am not really thinking about like I feel like even if I have immediate stress and like
long-term things that I'm stressing about, like trying to focus as much as I can on making the people around me and like my relationships with people around me the most important thing,
because that's really all that you can hold on to at the end of all of this and like, yeah, you know, like that's really going to be the only thing that matters.
And especially when I have been injured for like, I feel like the majority of my time here, which has obviously sucked, but I felt so connected to this team, especially like knowing that, like,
I had to come back from taking time off for mental health and knowing that I was ready to just fully immerse and like be connected with the team and like, I'm glad it was me, or at least that I had the chance to like have that kind of laid-back position where maybe I wasn't able to incorporate
or like be as impactful on the field.
But like I did have a role outside of that.
And whether or not I was injured, like being injured allowed me to like focus more on that and Yeah, the relationship piece.
Like those special moments where like you might not be able to put the ball in the back of the net,
but you're able to encourage somebody who might be who might be going through something similar
or who might be, you know, struggling with their own injuries.
And, you know, I saw you take on that role and, you know, you're facing your own adversity,
but you have this selflessness piece of, hey, like these relationships are above
are above that individual piece.
And I think that's something that I admire about you.
And I think, like I think Sab the other thing that I really like am inspired by is your ability to have,
you know, open, honest, vulnerable conversations.
You know, we say, can we get out of our comfort zones to grow?
And to do that, you have to open up.
You have to be willing to share.
And I think you've been somebody who's really comfortable to share.
You actually played such a large piece and like a role in that because
I didn't obviously, mental health is super important to me and it wasn't like until I spoke
with you, like during my sophomore season and you were like, hey, can we talk about what's going on?
Because I clearly had like bags under my eyes and like very pale. Like, not I didn't sleep a lot of hours, you know, and it was nice that somebody was able to like,
I mean, let alone my coach, like, know, like notice that there is something up.
And if it wasn't for you to, like, sit me down and have that conversation,
I would have never opened up.
I would have never seen a therapist.
I would have never sought help afterward and like. You're going to make me tear up
Sabrina No, it literally was the start of, like, my whole, like, recovery journey and like, that was like it's
so much, like, the reason
why I'm the person I am today, you know?
So thank you for that.
You make it easy to care about you.
I think it's my role as a coach to care about you.
I think that was a learning experience for me, too.
And I wouldn't have been able to help you if you weren't open and honest enough
to receive that help.
And I think you're ability to create relationships and, you know, care about me as well.
Like, I felt that. And so it's so much easier to offer a hand when you know that that connection is there.
And I've seen you do that with your teammates.
And I think that's what inspires me.
You know, I asked you to do this because of the connection we made and like,
I am so grateful, you know, not only for you to be a part of this team, but to be a part of my life.
You know, I see the relationship between Mitch and Morrie And, you know, I would love
for our relationship to emulate that because I can see the impact that people can have on each other.
And I think, you know, one of my takeaways was, yes,
Morrie had all of this impact on Mitch about life.
But I also think Mitch had this impact on Morrie and gave him life and brought, you know,
brought to life these like special moments that they shared together.
And you know, he was his partner till the end.
And like, I see that.
I see that with our relationship. Sabrina.
I definitely do, too.
I definitely see like both of us playing both of those roles because, I mean, I've loved being able to watch you grow from being an assistant coach to a head coach.
I have grown up with you on this team and that you've been someone that I can really lean into
and like like trust and like speak to about things and like know that, like, it will be OK at the end of the day.
You definitely have taken like the challenges that we've faced and like have adjusted from them. And
that's like if that's not like what this book is about, then like, I don't know what is.
Wow. The amount of tears I've had to hold, back in this conversation,
Sabrina I'm very lucky they're not just falling right now Yeah, me too.
I think I just messed up my makeup maybe a little bit.
Your growth, Sabrina, is it's been it's been a beautiful experience
to watch like seeing you come in, you know, and face your own challenges,
your own adversity, and you evolve and grow into this, like, incredible human being.
That's a leader, that's academically driven, that has these aspirations to help the world.
Like, you know, that drives me, that that motivates me to be the best coach I can be.
You know, that space out there is is like our classroom and seeing you tackle and work hard
in that classroom every single day.
I mean,
I'm like, what more could you ask for as a coach?
So I'm really, like, honored to for you to be a part of my journey and to experience my growth
and like for me to experience your growth.
Thank you.
I hope that my relationship with Sabrina allows her to become a mentor someday.
She already has to be honest, but I think, you know, 5, 10, 15 years down the road from now, I'm
I'm excited to see what she's able to do and the lives that she can impact that's the special piece of all of this is yes, we're coaches.
Yes, we're, you know, trying to win games, but we're also trying to change lives in a really great way.