Senior varsity girls soccer player Anthea Brazzell shows that her compassion translates well in any setting; whether playing soccer or off the field, teaching English to students, her empathy has no bounds.
Brazzell has been teaching English to Spanish-speaking students at local elementary schools in the Stillwater district. Despite the challenges that come with a new role in teaching, her teamwork, perseverance and leadership role as a soccer player and senior have contributed to her success in volunteering.
When interviewing Brazzell, she struggled with the new experience of teaching someone a language, as she had to work through communication barriers and a lack of planning by teachers for how to teach; because of this, she had to improvise.
“They kind of just set me up with a student who didn’t have English as a first language, spoke mainly Spanish. They didn’t give me any plans for him. I had to just go with it,” she said.
She has worked hard to become a great communicator as a soccer player and teacher. She speaks about her growth in communication as a teacher and soccer player. “I think overall, with growth for me especially, was like communication more especially on and off the field,” she said.
Brazzel’s ability to communicate has played a big role in her time volunteering. “I would say one of my biggest things is communication, like playing as a defensive player, center back. A lot of what we do is like trying to help everyone else in front of us organize, like training, practices, and games,” she said.
When speaking to her peers, her ability to adapt and communicate is clearly known to them. Brazzell has a strong relationship with her coaches Mike Huber and the assistant coach for the girls Varsity soccer team, Dusty Dennis, who she’s known for about 7-8 years she explained.
When speaking to Dennis, he agreed that Anthea’s greatest strength is having so much dedication and devotion to her team, which has made her successful in her high school career, being committed to Gustavus Adolphus College to continue playing soccer after high school.
When interviewing her sister, Cyra, she explained how volunteering has made her more defined and better as a person.
“[Volunteering] definitely makes her more, not heartfelt, but definitely makes her more well-rounded. It just really adds to her personality,” Cyra said.
“I just feel like I’m someone anyone can talk to, and I bring a lot of support,” Brazzell added.
Brazzell has used her knowledge of teamwork, communication and perseverance to help teach local Spanish-speaking elementary school students English. She is widely recognized by her sister and the girls soccer team coaching staff as a wonderful teammate and player, and even when things get difficult, she pushes herself through, proving to be one of the hardest workers in the room.
“She literally puts her head down and keeps going. And it’s made her successful in soccer, and to be honest, in life. She just doesn’t quit,” Dennis said.
