Five Questions for Stephanie Lopez Cox
*U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Star *
Your parents have cared for nearly 100 foster children. What was it like to be part of a foster family?
My parents are special people with lots of love to give. They wanted to have a big family and our home almost always included kids from foster care. Our entire family feels truly blessed to have had these children in our lives. Each of them in their own way has taught us so much about the power of family. We became much closer as a result.
When my parents adopted Justin and Daniel from foster care, they gave me, and my older brother Jeremiah, such a wonderful gift. We love spending time with our little brothers.
How did growing up in your family influence you as a professional athlete?
I learned at an early age that things aren’t easy for other kids. Plus, everyone in our family had a role to play. We all had something to contribute that made us stronger as a unit. My unique upbringing was excellent training for my soccer career because it instilled in me the principles of teamwork, patience, understanding, and to value everyone’s individual contribution as part of achieving a common goal. No one person is more important than the other.
You are the first player of Hispanic descent to be a major contributor to the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. What has your life been like lately?
It has been such an incredible time for me. I’m 22 years old and recently graduated from University of Portland with a degree in Psychology. I got married last December to my college sweetheart Brian Cox and I’ve been training really hard leading into the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. In April, our team qualified for the Olympics by beating Costa Rica in a tournament in Mexico, which is where my grandparents are from.
Why are you a spokesperson for National Foster Care Month?
My schedule is pretty crazy right now, but I really felt this cause was so important and so urgent – I had to make time to help promote National Foster Care Month.
There are 513,000 American youth in foster care. All children should be able to pursue their dreams just like I did. Unfortunately, so many young people in foster care struggle because their own families are in crisis and they have no one to call “Mom” or “Dad” – no one to guide them in life.
What can people do to help?
May is National Foster Care Month. I want to encourage many more people to consider helping a child in foster care like my parents did or to get involved in other ways. No matter how much time you have to give – a few minutes, a few hours or more time - you have the power to do something positive that will Change a Lifetime for a young person in foster care.