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Hello! My name is Aya Watanabe. I am 16 years old and a sophomore at Timpview. Some of the things I enjoy doing include, soccer (of course!), I love playing the piano, watching movies, I love skiing and anything to do with snow! I love being with my friends and family, and I love to eat (I hear that might be a bit of a problem for me in Uganda, but that’s ok, its definitely worth it).

I have been playing soccer since I was very young and I absolutely love it! I mostly play defensive midfielder. Besides playing on the Timpview soccer team in the fall, I also play on a club team, Celtic Storm. I love both my teams equally! What I love most about high school soccer is that it is so much fun! No matter if we win or loose, we always seem to be laughing on the ride home. We all connect so well together, and I can’t wait to spend a whole 2 weeks with them!

Something I have always believed in is that you are happiest when you are serving others. When I heard that 15 of us would have the amazing opportunity to travel to Uganda, my heart jumped, and I knew I had to go. Ever since then I don’t think a day has gone by that I don’t think about all the kids in Uganda, and the opportunity I will have to hopefully change their lives, and also my own. I can not think of a better opportunity to serve than this one. I know that this is going to take a lot of work and effort, but I know every hour of hard work I put into making this trip happen is going to make this experience that much better.