Hello!
My name is Emilia Boggs and I am this summer’s L.A.C.E.S. Refugee Youth Sports Program Intern. I am from Bethesda, Maryland and am a rising junior at Boston College where I study International Relations and Political Science with a minor in Managing for Social Impact and the Public Good.
About Me
Growing up, I was always a very active person. Living in a household with two competitive brothers, I always tried to prove my position and try every sport they tried. As a result, at one point I was playing around eight sports at once. As I got older, I had to strip down to only a few sports, so I decided to focus on figure skating, tennis, and lacrosse. Recently, I picked up running and have run six half marathons and hope to run the Boston Marathon my senior year of college.
I am also half Cuban. As a child, I never had the opportunity to explore what being Cuban meant to me. Going into high school and college, however, my Cuban heritage has become a defining feature of who I am. In high school, I started the Latinx Student union, where students from any background could come together and share stories and learn about current events from various Latin American countries. In college, I joined the executive board of the Cuban American Student Association, where I have held the positions of Freshman Representative, Events Coordinator, and now Vice President with hopes of being President my senior year.
My athletic nature coupled with my unique background sparked my interest in foreign affairs and immigration from a young age. Living so close to the Washington D.C. border also allows me to develop my interests as I can see change and protest first hand each day. When I graduate, I hope to attend law school and focus on immigration law as well as business law.
My Time with L.A.C.E.S.
Last spring as I was looking for summer opportunities, I came across L.A.C.E.S. – Life And Change Experienced thru Sports. The name of the organization itself was enough to catch my eye and I immediately did more investigation. The opportunity to take my academic interests, mix them with my hobbies of sports, and learn valuable lessons about organization and leadership seemed like the perfect option for me.
As a child, I was extremely shy and had a very hard time with self-confidence. It was through my leadership roles on different sports teams and countless years of failure and adaptation for me to gain the confidence and determination I have today. L.A.C.E.S. is an organization that has an emphasis on building relationships and confidence. As someone who has experienced how sports can build this type of confidence at a personal level allowed me to envision just how much L.A.C.E.S. can accomplish as an organization.
While I did get a late start to working with L.A.C.E.S. this summer, I have loved every minute of what I have done thus far and I have especially loved getting to know the rest of the team and hearing stories about past years’ camps and trips. It is obvious that everyone is passionate about what they do and strives to do the best work possible.
What I am Excited for
I am beyond excited for this summer’s youth soccer camp! Being able to see my work in action as well as see the smiling faces of each and every child will be truly rewarding. I also can’t wait to hear from our volunteers and coaches about their experience and what the camp meant to them.
