Our Spring 2024 Committed #CoachMentors! More to be added!
Kevin Lopez
Kevin Lopez is a young adult born and raised in Lawrence. He currently attends Northern Essex Community College, and works for a local banking institution with ambitions to be a successful bank operations manager.
Kevin has always loved working with and mentoring youth and giving them advice they can use in their future, especially instilling the values of hard work, respect, discipline, and integrity. As a coach and mentor, he understands that he has and will significantly impact them, which is why he’s part of Beyond Soccer in this leadership role. That includes coaching his younger brother in the program, whom he wants to help, along with the other boys he leads to have a better and brighter future.
Fun Fact: Kevin likes to travel.
Favorite Quote: “You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain‘t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward:”- Rocky
Donovan Guzman
Beyond Soccer alumni, Donovan, who started in our programs 7.5 years ago, is a UMass Lowell junior. He took on the responsibility of #Coach Mentor of our Grade 3 Developmental Team, the Eagles, a place for Donovan and the players to “develop” more skills and experience before they enter the travel league this spring. What stuck out from Donovan’s recent sharing was that “he remembered when he was growing up, soccer wasn’t as popular as it is now, and it’s amazing to see how much it has transformed in the city of Lawrence.” That’s awesome and motivating to learn from our teen leaders. Today, Donovan steps up and in whenever and wherever he can while staying committed to his classes, friends, and teammates, like Coach Mentor Isslandel, who graduated with Donovan from Notre Dame High School in Lawrence.
Fun Fact: Kevin is studying psychology.
Why Coach? “I like to coach the youth because it reminds me of when I used to practice back then with Beyond.”
Liana "Roo" Sawyer
Liana, or as most people call her, "Roo," is experiencing her first season as a Travel Coach Mentor this spring. Roo began volunteering for our Academic Overtime program through Merrimack College‘s Community Service Department. Shortly after getting involved, Soccer Director Chris knew she could also have an impact on the fields. Do you know that Liana, a Merrimack College sophomore studying Environmental Studies and Biology, also plays for its competitive Women’s Soccer team as its goalkeeper? As a bit of background, she has been playing soccer competitively since 5th grade and has been a private goalie coach over the summer months for several years. Roo loves watching players grow as individuals and as players as they navigate through, and that mentorship role started in her first job as a swim instructor. Also, as you can see from Roo’s fun fact, besides being around kids all the time through work and volunteerism, she is constantly always around her siblings and many younger cousins!
Angel Lopez
Angel is a busy NECC student contributing to its soccer program, which went undefeated in 2023. He’s a talented center midfielder who’s been part of Beyond Soccer since the 5th grade. His soccer journey has also included being part of multiple competitive club teams, earning many MVP recognitions during those high school experiences, and mainly wearing the famous No. 10 jersey. His love for soccer now includes another angle, being a very influential Coach Mentor. What Angel loves most about coaching and working with youth is uniting kids from all ethnicities and backgrounds through the sport of soccer. “Seeing smiles on their faces, working together, and getting along like a big family is the best part.” He also mentioned he loves helping them improve their soccer abilities and achieve things on and off the field. Yes, Angel has also contributed to our after-school tutoring program. Unsurprisingly, he’s a regular community service volunteer, participating in regular park clean-ups, giving out food, and donating blood and clothes.
Arabella Sseyondo
Beyond Soccer player Arabella started participating in our programs 13 years ago, when she was four years old, the youngest age one can join the program. Today, she is a Central Catholic High School student and, yes, one of our youngest coach mentors. But hey, she started with us at age 4! In addition to leading our Grade 3 girls squad, Arabella is in our Academic Overtime space, most Mondays through Thursdays, mentoring elementary school youth. A special memory has been her role in our summer youth jobs program and contributing to our camps and summer nights programs. Arabella says she loves being a role model for the players, especially the girls. We agree and can’t wait to support her continued leadership role at Beyond Soccer.
Why I like to Coach: “I love being a role model to youth in a program I grew up in.”
Fun Facts! She “can’t juggle.”
Kaz Chin
Kaz and his family, including two kids, have been involved in Beyond Soccer for the last three years, and thankfully, this season, that involvement includes Kaz taking to the sideline as a committed parent-coach mentor! He is also a committed Christ Follower (believer in Christ Jesus), as you can see from his favorite quote.
Kaz’s love of sports started in Jamaica, where he ran track and field and played soccer in middle and high school. He’s always loved the game of soccer, which included community leagues and an under-16 travel team, and now he can share that love with more kids in the program, including his own.
Why Kaz Coaches: “To see them learn valuable life lessons to help them grow so one day they themselves can do the same for others to follow.”
Fun Fact: Kaz loves to eat Cheetos and peanuts when he goes on long rides!
Eder Moran
Eder has been with Beyond Soccer for 7 years, and we wish we got him involved #onthefield as a Coach Mentor sooner! He was born in Lima, Peru, but since age 6, was raised in the US. He‘s a Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology grad with an associate degree in automotive. He married his high school sweetheart, Orialise, and they have 3 beautiful girls, Mia, Olivia, and Luna. Mia and Olivia have been playing soccer since age 4, and there’s nothing more satisfying for Eder than watching them grow up loving the sport and wanting to learn more. In his new role leading the Grade 5-6 Jaguars, he wants to support their continued, positive involvement in sports and other female players. His love for sports is heavily inspired by Kobe Bryant, with Kobe’s role as a girl dad especially significant. It is why Eder wants to help bring more attention and resources to girls and women in sports, including guiding his daughters and all the girls on the Jaguars squad to success,... READ MORE
Blythe McLean
Blythe is new to our Coach Mentor team this spring. As a little background, Blythe is a Masconomet Regional HS senior who was introduced to us through the school’s senior internship program. Blythe will graduate in May with plans to study marketing in college, but before she does that, she will lead the Grade 6 Bulldogs Team this spring. She is excited to have a positive, lasting effect on Lawrence’s youth, as her coaches had on her during her soccer career, which began at age 4! Her last soccer season at Masco ended in a penalty kick shootout in the final four. Yes, Masco is very good, and Blythe looks forward to continuing her own sports journey in college through competitive club soccer. Also, Beyond Soccer is benefiting from her marketing skills, designing flyers and posters, with more to come over the coming months. Like our mission, she’s contributing on & off the field.
Fun Fact: I have two French bulldogs.
Favorite Quote: "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone"
Fredy Agudelo
Fredy is originally from Medellin, Columbia, where he developed his love of soccer. Fortunately for Beyond Soccer, Fredy has taken over the reins as Coach Mentor for the Grade 4 Lionness, the team his youngest daughter also plays for. Fredy has been part of our program for 7 years but is on the sidelines, watching his son go through the program. PS, his son, Jacob, after many years of playing, became a Jr. Coach and a Summer Coach Mentor, which is part of our leadership through sports focus. You can hear Fredy on the sidelines saying, “Good job, girls.” He’s a very positive sideline addition, with his favorite part of coaching is “seeing and supporting their progress.” This fall, Fredy is getting some assistance from his wife, a long-time Beyond Soccer parent who helped arrange the program’s first off-the-field pizza party in our enrichment space. It’s obvious Fredy is #All-In, with every member of his family benefiting and contributing somehow.
Why Coach: He “loves to see and support player progress.”
Issandel Feliciano
Former Beyond Soccer middle & high school player Issandel is on the sidelines with us this fall. His role, not only as a committed, former travel player but as a Summer Coach Mentor through our youth jobs program, has advanced our program in so many ways. He stood out for his excellent communication skills and, as shared in his initial job application, likes “hands-on jobs and opportunities that allow him to be creative.” That’s why, after an impactful summer, his new role as Coach Mentor of the Grade 6 Rebels Team is a perfect fit. Issandel is constantly recognized for showing up early, doing extra, and going “beyond” for others. Issandel, a Notre Dame Cristo Rey graduate, is a Southern New Hampshire University freshman. His favorite subject is math, and he wants to pursue mechanical engineering. Issandel also has two siblings and a dog named Marco!
Why I Coach: “I see young players learning fast. That’s why I love coaching–they use what I show them in their games.”
Adam Tran
Adam started working with Beyond Soccer in 2016. During his time leading and serving youth in almost every capacity, including Academic Overtime, he’s been involved in Lawrence Public School’s Latchkey Program and as a high school teacher in Lowell. Plus, he’s consistently served with youth at his church. His involvement with youth, coupled with his college studies in sports management, propelled his dream to open an indoor sports complex in inner-city communities like Lawrence. Hey Adam, let’s make that happen and find a place to re-establish our indoor court that’s in storage!
Why Adam coaches: He likes being a positive male role model and seeing those youth progress as they grow up. He was significantly impacted by his coach growing up and has wanted to do the same for the kids in his community. He did not have a younger sibling growing up, so he tends to have this big brother personality when working with the youth, wanting each kid to know they are appreciated and can do whatever they put their minds to.
David Lopez
David, a Lawrence High School graduate, is a prime example of our leadership-through-sports model, having been part of Beyond Soccer, according to David, his “whole life.” Yes, he’s contributed to numerous Lawrence travel team rosters, like the first-ever Grade 6 Thunder squad in 2011/2012 and many playoff-bound teams.
“I’ve been in love with the game called soccer since the age of 4.” That love translated into his recent coaching role as the Grade 4 Lions lead Coach Mentor. This role is coming naturally to David this fall, having gained a lot of experience working with young people since middle school as a Junior #CoachMentor, as well as through the LPS Intramural Program, helping coach and referee its soccer league as a high school student-athlete. David was a fierce defender and still plays in a local men’s league.
Why David wants to Coach: He wants to teach young people the sport that has dramatically impacted his life. His family immigrated to the United States from Guatemala, and they have a deep connection to the sport.
Dominic Nash
Dominic, a Lawrence resident from St. Vincent & the Grenadines, has strong community ties near and far. He stepped into a leadership role at Beyond Soccer many years ago. His passion for the game, plus his knowledge and soccer experience, including professional play, have made him a great fit. In addition to coordinating practices, games, and off-the-field events for many different Lawrence Youth Soccer travel teams, this fall, he is leading the Gr. 8 Strikerz, a crucial age for mentorship before they head off to high school. Apart from being with his family (see fun fact), Dominic says, "I’ve found another family which is beyond soccer." Dominic, a jack of all trades, who works in the trade field, continues to play soccer competitively in his spare time. Also, Dominic, who regularly returns to his native island, loves distributing gear, through Beyond Soccer, to passionate young soccer players in St. Vincent, getting his Lawrence players and Coach Mentors involved in the philanthropy!
Fun Fact: His 2 daughters participate in Beyond Soccer!
Melissa Cartagena
Melissa joined our programs after immigrating from Guatemala 11 years ago. She joined the Gr. 6 Bulldogs right away, a team she now coaches! Melissa has always played and loved soccer, as long as she can remember. After graduating from LHS Abbot Academy with honors and contributing to its girls’ varsity soccer team for four years (tennis, plus track & field, too), she is now a sophomore at UMass Lowell studying biological sciences with a minor in nutrition and Spanish! Melissa also competes for UMass Lowell’s club soccer team. In addition to her full class schedule, she stays busy working for “Beyond Soccer” as a Sr. Coach Mentor, helping us organize, communicate, and lead our many on-and-off-the-field programs, with a particular emphasis on growing our health and wellness programs. Currently she‘s developing our Fuel for Performance curriculum. Her leadership role of the Bulldogs (above) and the Gr. 1 & 2 girls Lioness squads in 2022, has translated into her coaching the Gr. 8 Wolverines! She’s also a dog mom!
Our Summer Coach Mentors
An important part of our coaching model is connecting youth who have grown up in our programs to leadership roles as Coach Mentors and Jr. Coach Mentors. This is now a year-round effort, but it is most obvious over the summer months, which started with our first camp in 2011!! Below are some more recent stats:
- In Summer 2019, 17 Summer Hires, including 10 Beyond Soccer high school graduates and college students who grew up in our programs, worked as Coach Mentors running our summer camps that reached 500+ kids.
- Summer 2020 was more difficult with COVID-19, cutting our summer staff in half, but 8 Summer Coach Mentors persevered, engaging 245 youth and teens.
- In summer 2022, we were relieved to be back on fields, with 345 hours of physical activity programs run and coordinated by 38 youth hires and volunteers, kicking off on Saturday, June 26th, with a full menu of morning, afternoon, and evening programs that ran through Friday, August 26th.
- The most recent summer, $50,000 in youth wage support, training, and professional development ensured that 21 employed Summer Coach Mentors impacted more than 400 Lawrence youth for 10 weeks through day and evening sports camps and enrichment programs between June 28 and August 26, 2023.
- Long-time partners like ECCF, Mass Hire, New Balance, Stevens Foundation, and Amelia Peabody Foundation contribute to these efforts, and thanks to DCR’s #Summer Nights program, we were also able to offer more evening programs benefiting families with more complicated work schedules.
“It’s incredible the strong bonds we’ve witnessed between our summer youth hires, and what’s especially motivating is how these bonds have meant better, more consistent programs for kids and a stronger sense of community, connection, friendship, and pride.”
“Summer Nights were an amazing part of the year and my summer job. I loved seeing the kids’ faces light up every time we scrimmage. Even though, sadly, summer nights are over, the kids made my day, or actually, evening. I’m very excited about doing it all over again next summer and making an even bigger impact.”
