The soccer field at Arizona Western College is a marvelous place I feel proud to be a part of, and I wish to remember it for the rest of my life. This is a place where I have matured and feel a lot of pride knowing I represent the school and my family in everything I do.

AWC is a huge milestone for me and my family since I am the first person to attend college and hopefully the first to graduate. Asides from that fact, every time I come to the school there are so many interesting places to see and so many things to do. I especially remember my time as an athlete here because I met so many people who are now some of my best friends. They all have different backgrounds and come from all over the world. Also the people who work here are very friendly, and everyone wants me to succeed.

When I think about the soccer field, I think of many cultures and backgrounds, which makes me feel at home because I get to experience a little bit from other parts of the country and the world with every new person I meet. The coaches always are eager to help with anything and seem to have loads of enthusiasm to coach and to teach life lessons. You can tell people are excited to be a part of this college.

When I walk around campus I think of the smell of the fields and the wide open look of it. It is a grassy area fluttering with green which has been built around the nature of Yuma instead of there just being a facility here. When I look across the street, I see masses of mountain etched across the blue canvas of sky.

If someone were to come to the field, I would tell them to first look around at all the different people found here and how they bring their own touch of the Earth to this place. I would tell them to imagine studying here and what that would mean to them. To me this is a place where I am proud to go every week and embrace the new challenges ahead.

Secondly, I would tell them to visit the other sports facilities because there you can see an added factor of family and tender friendliness surrounding the college. Sports are a way to unite people of all kinds of backgrounds into something much bigger than themselves. In witnessing an event or a practice, it is easy to see the community come together in order to grow and mature through athletics.

I recall coming to the school about five months ago and being super nervous about what I would come across. It was a hot afternoon, and I was supposed to come to practice with the soccer team. It was something I had never experienced before. As I got to know more people I realized it wasn’t too bad. I was excited to come to AWC both to learn and to meet new people. I really liked how I could leave my worries behind and focus on what I enjoy doing.

I think coming here has really benefited me since I am not scared of new challenges that I might encounter in life. Every semester it seems I experience the same feeling, and it just takes time to develop a comfort zone with new settings and people.

One significant memory of this place really makes me think of things in a new perspective. This memory is about sports and to me it signifies the unity and companionship that can be found at AWC. We were traveling to Tucson, excited to compete against a strong opponent in the semifinals, figuring we would win because that’s just what sports make you feel. We ended up losing and everyone was devastated. For some people it would be their last game ever, and for others it would mean a failed season.

We hopped on the bus tired and defeated and went to go eat. When got our food, it was quiet for a couple of minutes, and then everyone started to joke around and have fun. That was the moment I realized that the most important thing in life is the people we meet and what they can teach us, not material things and accomplishments.

This memory shaped my character in ways that I might appreciate more as I get older. I will not forget all that AWC and sports have taught me and all that it will teach me before I leave. Two years sounds like such a long time, but it has already gone by so fast and I am already starting to miss it a little bit. People may look at community college and not think much about it all, but to me it is where I have matured and learned a lot of new things. Right now, I try to find the deeper meaning in life, and I am always looking to help people in any way I can because that is what I think life is all about.

Arizona Western’s soccer field might not be the kind of place one thinks of as home, but it is a place where I get to spend good times with friends, meet new people, learn, and play soccer. There is not too much special in the buildings themselves, but the memories created in them are very special. I hope others can someday sense my place as well as I doand realize that home can be anywhere that makes us feel like we belong on this energetic planet Earth.

Photo courtesy of AWC Photo Services