What lessons did you take from yourtima at HKIS?

Be open to new experiences, and appreciate that everyone
brings a different perspective that’s valuable and eye opening.
Being part of an international community makes that clear,
but those things aren’t always a given in other communities.
Those learnings have been invaluable to me as a citizen and
as a journalist. Your varied perspective is valuable, and it
matters. No matter the field you’re in.

You were into basketball in High School. What did being part of the team mean to you? What did you learn about sportsmanship?

The girls’ basketball team was my family, and the gym my
second home. Our coach, “Doc O'’ (Karl Osthcller), was our
North Star. He believed in us in a way that was transformative
for a bunch of teens who were trying to figure out all the
things high school kids are trying to figure out. Playing
basketball made me strong—mentally and physically.
We set big goals, and we felt the exhilaration of meeting and
exceeding them. And when we lost, we lost together, and we
learned to be gracious. I had a temper tantrum on the court
exactly one time, and it was clear that wasn’t ho\v Doc was
going to have us conduct ourselves. Learning t.hat lesson at 15
has served me well ever since. Our team was a family. I have
always loved being part of a team, and I’m grateful today for
every one of those girls.

You're now Vice President, Editorial Director and Executive Producer at Storytelling & Special Prolects at ESPN. How did you go about making this happen?

I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. It was
almost accidental that I was able to combine my passions for
writing and sports. I was a technology and business writer for
Furl Compmgl magazine, based in Silicon Valley, when I started
freelance writing about things like training for a marathon
with friends for women’s magazine, and profiling female
athletes for Spam Illtulmledjbr I/Mvntaz. I met some of the guys
at ESPN through those efforts, and eventually earned an
editing position at ESI’./V 771: A/Itzguzinz. Until it happened,

I honestly d.id.n’t imagine that I could make a Career out of
something sports-related. I really believe in that saying, “If
jun 59: i4_)v2n mu be it.” But until I fell into this career, I had
never seen it. That’s why it’s important to me, these days, to
talk with student groups and women’s pmfcssional groups to
give them insight into careers like mine. It’s so important for
people to know what’s out there to aspire to.