TOWSON, Md. – Playing sports in college is an extension of a life-long passion. From the toddling around in the backyard with a ball to playing at the highest level in college, sport has the potential to change lives.
 
Former Towson University women's soccer standout Katie Ponce will have the chance of a lifetime, blending soccer with succor. The 2015 alumna will head to Uganda, Africa at the end of June and will work alongside Soccer Without Borders (SWB) for a full year.
 
From June 2016 through June 2017, Ponce will volunteer her time in the Ugandan capital city of Kampala. The Westfield, New Jersey native will spend her days working with refugees and internally displaced youths, teaching English in the mornings, peer leadership in the afternoons and capping the day with soccer lessons.
 
"Soccer has given me everything; free education, all of my friends," said Ponce of her journey. "This is my way to give back to the game that has given me so much. I could not have found a more fulfilling way to do that."
 
The intercontinental trip will not be the first time Ponce has worked with Soccer Without Borders. While she was competing for the Black & Gold, Ponce worked closely in the Greater Baltimore region with teammate Kat Sipes. After graduation and while playing for the Boston Breakers organization, Ponce worked with the Boston region's office of the organization.
 
SWB Uganda works in the Nsambya neighborhood of Kampala. Through soccer and educational programming, the SWB program creates a space for urban refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, and Somalia to integrate with their Ugandan peers.
 
As with any trip of this magnitude, funding is needed. Ponce has created a crowd-funding link where people can help defray the costs of the trip. The money will be used for rent, food, health insurance, as well as items for Soccer Without Borders. Any money donated through Ponce's crowd-funding cannot be touched for personal use, such as social outings or personal travel.
 
When Ponce returns to the States in June 2017, she will have made the world a better place, one soccer ball at a time.
 
- TowsonTigers.com –