Serving as a Positive Representation: An Interview with Kisha Gaskins — Volunteer Spotlight
KENSINGTON, Pa. — Growing up playing on boy soccer teams, Kisha Gaskins didn’t have many role models to look up to who were like her: a Black female soccer player. Thus, with the rising popularity of female soccer in the country, she tries to be a positive representation to the U8-U10 girls she coaches so that they can say they had a role model to look up to.
“It’s been really fun to watch the growth and rise of popularity in the female game, but also the number of players going out into the female game and the number of players that are continuing in the game,” Gaskins said. “It’s really rewarding and I like to be a small component of it.”
As a big advocate for girls’ sports, Gaskins signed on as a volunteer in 2021 after a club announcement looking for volunteers was shared with her by a friend.
“I will always find sports to be an amazing outlet, especially for females,” she said. “I want to be able to give back to the sport and the community that I love and try to encourage girls to pick up and continue in the sport.”
According to a report published by Canadian Women and Sport, one in three females drop sports by their late teens, as opposed to a one in 10 dropout rate in boys. It’s well known that participation in sports is beneficial to a person’s health and overall well-being, so Gaskins finds it important to keep young girls engaged in order to build their passion for the game.
“With this age of 8-10, you want to try to encourage girls to play the sport but you also want to encourage them to play it in a way that keeps them engaged,” Gaskins said. “A lot of girls drop out around middle school age and the biggest thing I try to instill is having fun and trying your best. A lot of that comes from being able to recognize their ability to do well in the sport but also their ability to have fun.”
Gaskins has loved the time she’s spent with the Club over the past year and encourages others to not hesitate to join as a volunteer.
“Click the submit button, click the email,” she said. “It’s an amazing group with a lot of people who not only love the sport but love the community and love the kids they’re interacting with. It’s been really rewarding in the past year to be a part of that.”
More about Kisha Gaskins
Gaskins is a clinical research project manager at the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Anesthesiology and Clinical Care. When she’s not working or volunteering, you can find Gaskins participating in a lot of community sports, especially soccer. She also loves to hang out with her friends and host dinner parties.
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