For many kids, soccer begins as just any pastime. For Ana Ramirez, however, it blossomed into more than that. Something that has tested her resilience, shaped her character and developed a maturity in her far beyond her years.
Growing up in a Mexican household, Ramirez was often surrounded by the sport. Soccer was always on the TV, and she often wore soccer jerseys of iconic players and spent her time playing FIFA with her dad. Through the constant exposure on TV and during recess, she quickly fell in love with the game.
“I just told my mom, ‘I want to play. I want to join a team,’” Ramirez said. “She said, ‘Okay, I guess we can try it out.’ And [I’ve] kept playing since I was four years old.”
As Ramirez grew older, however, the weight of expectations began to build, and she realized that soccer was not always just about fun, but also about responsibility.
“[It] began to suffocate me in a way,” she said. “But then I surpassed that and used it as a motivation, because I feel like pressure is always a privilege.”
This mindset helped carry her through many years of self-doubt. Yet, she was still often terrified of making mistakes and letting everyone down.
“I felt like I had a lot of pressure, and I was always really scared of making mistakes,” Ramirez said.
Nonetheless, through the guidance of her coach, she was able to grow from these experiences and make them her own.
“My coach told me [that] you’re not gonna reach your goals if you keep fearing mistakes. Making mistakes is just part of the game, and you have to learn how to live with it and learn from it,” Ramirez said. “Now I like making mistakes because that means I’m learning something new, and I’m pushing myself out of my comfort zone.”
Ramirez’s maturity also shows in her training. Growing up, her mother, Hilda Taylor often worked long hours, developing a sense of responsibility, maturity, independence, determination and discipline in Ramirez.
“Her mentality when she wants something [and] she’s capable of doing it [is crazy],” Taylor said. “She knows that it’s not easy. She knows that it takes a lot of work, but her mind is what tells her to do the best and to keep fighting for her goals [every day].”
Ramirez’s maturity and independence have translated into her character on the field as well. Her teammate and close friend, Maria Olwig, says she is very focused and disciplined, especially during practices and games.
“Before practices, she’ll be super silly and funny and joke around, but when practice hits, she’s on it and she’s on her A game,” Olwig said. “She does not mess around, she’s not a joke.”
Ramirez’s hard work and determination have led her to commit to play collegiate soccer at Vanderbilt University, which has been one of her proudest moments. But the one that tops it all is her call-up to the Mexican National Team.
“To play for my country and play for my family that I haven’t seen in years, and also my grandpa that passed [was an honor],” Ramirez said. “His goal for someone in the family was to make it big in a sport, just like he did, because he was playing big league baseball in Mexico, and for me to make it as far as I did, and play for the country that I was born in and that my whole family lives in, it was an honor.”
Ramirez’s mother echoes that sentiment, saying the whole family is very proud of Ramirez for overcoming the challenges of being an immigrant and achieving her current success.
“[Her home is in] the US, but still her heart is in Mexico, so all her roots and culture, and of course, family, is in Mexico, so that means a lot to us,” Taylor said. “But more than that, to be able to even communicate, I’m very proud of her because just [being bilingual] and being able to fit in the team [means a lot to me].”
Her teammate, as well, says Ramirez’s achievements have inspired them to aim even higher and chase their dreams.
“She’s just inspired me to try my hardest,” Olwig said. “She’ll even train with the boys, and she wants to train with the boys’ team because it gets her better. She inspires me to be better, [to not just be] good but to be great.”
Through soccer, Ramirez has become not just a tremendous athlete but also a role model. She wishes to inspire young players around her never to stop dreaming big and chasing their dreams.
Above all, Ramirez believes discipline is what truly sets the best apart.
“Regardless of how talented you are and whatever it is you love, if you’re not willing to put in the work, and if you’re not willing to keep going regardless of what’s going on outside your life, you’re not going to reach your goal,” she said. “Sometimes it’s hard, but you have to look at yourself and realize that you have only one life, you only have one opportunity, and you just need to push through, because life is never going to stop for you.”
