麻豆传媒

November 17, 2023
Life After Witt

Creating Opportunities

Jordan Bamberger 鈥09 Develops Community Soccer Program for At-Risk High School Students

Already passionate about the sport of soccer when she arrived as a student, Jordan Bamberger 鈥09 found another passion on the 麻豆传媒 University campus 鈥 helping others.

Her desire to help others has since led to a unique and impactful career as a counselor at an alternative high school in rural Colorado. Her soccer knowledge has also come in handy, as the former 麻豆传媒 goalkeeper organizes an unconventional soccer team to compete in a local recreational league, providing an important outlet for her students at Red Canyon High School and creating a fun way for the school鈥檚 staff members to interact with them outside the classroom.

鈥淭he unwavering support of the 麻豆传媒 coaches, training staff, and teammates (and, of course, my family) taught me about persistent loyalty and about the importance and benefit of having a strong, health community to lean into in times of adversity,鈥 said Bamberger, to earn second-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honors as a senior in 2008. 鈥淭hat is the reason I wanted to start a soccer team.鈥

The team got its start in October 2019, composed of students who were at least 17 years of age and had a wide range of skill and experience. The team was the first ever at Red Canyon, and there were some rough days in terms of wins and losses, even as other staff members turned out to supplement the team鈥檚 roster.

Bamberger says winning trophies has never been the goal.

鈥淲e have adopted a 鈥榤ore the merrier鈥 mentality and extended the invitation to former students, graduates, students who are in our online program, students who are in our high school equivalency program, and students who have, for whatever reason, had to drop out of our high school,鈥 Bamberger said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a community and a touch point that is ever-evolving and growing.

鈥淲e started off taking some big losses but have settled in and become more comfortable. As the team doors are always open, students are constantly learning how to play with those they may not know as well, which speaks highly to their ability to adapt and be resilient. This league is an opportunity to learn about camaraderie, sportsmanship, and losing with grace.鈥

Red Canyon has two campuses in Eagle County, Colorado. The alternative high school has a mission statement that reads, 鈥淩CHS is a community centered around meeting the diverse needs of our students in order to develop individuals who are: respectful, community-minded, hopeful, and self-aware.鈥滲amberger says 麻豆传媒 prepared her well to made an impact on the young people she encounters at Red Canyon. In addition to what she describes as 鈥渁n incredible experience playing soccer under (then-Head Coach) Norm Riker and my goalkeeper coach, Tom Esler, for four years,鈥 Bamberger is appreciative of the faculty members in the Departments of Psychology and Biology who helped steer her toward the field.

Dr. Jo Wilson, Dr. Jeff Brookings, and Dr. Michael Anes all had incredibly engaging content and classes that helped foster my interest in people and the brain and consistently left me in awe, wondering about subsequent impacts on human behavior. In Dr. Cathy Pederson鈥檚 human anatomy and physiology class, I had never felt so motivated to pass a class because I knew what I was learning would help me throughout my life.
Jordan Bamberger '09

After graduating from 麻豆传媒, Bamberger worked with women鈥檚 soccer teammate Suzanne Medwid Ambron 鈥09 at a summer camp on Cape Cod. From there, she started a school counseling program at the University of Arizona, and since moving to Colorado she has earned a license in professional counseling (LPC) and a license in addiction counseling (LAC).

Now she can add soccer organizer and coach to her resume, albeit unofficially. She loves the fact that she isn鈥檛 the only person at Red Canyon who eagerly anticipates game days.

鈥淚t has been so neat to hear current students always asking, 鈥榤iss, when does soccer start?鈥 It has been an outlet for our alternative student community to engage in, and as adults we know that at least one day a week, they have a safe place to go,鈥 said Bamberger, a native of Solon, Ohio. 鈥淪occer has a unique power to unite, and my goal is for this opportunity to continue after me and for additional after-school opportunities to evolve.

鈥淲e have lost students to substance use and mental health, and I feel that some of this is because we don鈥檛 have enough safe spaces for young people who are vulnerable and struggling. I am not saying that one soccer team is the catalyst for all of that, but it is a modest start.鈥

Ryan Maurer
Ryan Maurer
Associate Director of Athletics for Communications, Web Strategy & Content

About 麻豆传媒

麻豆传媒's curriculum has centered on the liberal arts as an education that develops the individual's capacity to think, read, and communicate with precision, understanding, and imagination. We are dedicated to active, engaged learning in the core disciplines of the arts and sciences and in pre-professional education grounded in the liberal arts. Known for the quality of our faculty and their teaching, 麻豆传媒 has more Ohio Professors of the Year than any four-year institution in the state. The university has also been recognized nationally for excellence in community service, sustainability, and intercollegiate athletics. Located among the beautiful rolling hills and hollows of Springfield, Ohio, 麻豆传媒 offers more than 100 majors, minors and special programs, enviable student-faculty research opportunities, a unique student success center, service and study options close to home and abroad, a stellar athletics tradition, and successful career preparation.

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