Karla Hernandez, Nadia Estrada, Katherine Cortes—players on the Impact United team.
Katherine Cortes, Karla Hernandez, and Nadia Estrada were third graders when they first began playing soccer in the IMPACT Sports program. Today Katherine is a 17-year-old senior attending Wheaton High School, Karla is a 16-year-old junior at Wheaton, and Nadia is a 17-year-old senior at Kennedy High School. They are among the 87 girls (pre-K – high school) who participated in IMPACT’s year-round soccer programming during the 2022-23 season.
The many benefits of playing sports for women and girls are well documented, as are the numerous benefits of building athletic skills early. IMPACT Sports programs offer geographically accessible practices and games, no- and low-cost registration, and bilingual coaching. These features help make it easier for girls from immigrant and low-income families to get an early start in reaping the benefits of athletic participation that can last a lifetime.
When asked what playing soccer has meant to her, Nadia shared, “It’s helped me earn confidence in myself, my looks, and with making friends with people.” The girls currently play together on an IMPACT-sponsored Montgomery Soccer Inc. (MSI) team called Impact United. In the last year, their team is unbeaten with a record of 18-0!
