2020 Scholarship Recipients

Kylie Brown

Player at SJEB Rush 01 Girls Academy
Student at Delsea Regional High School, Franklinville, NJ
Attending West Chester University

“I have loved playing soccer since youth…I will never regret the hours spend practicing, pushing, and playing. This hard work, passion, would finally give way to my first college showcase event. ...finally all my hard work would pay off, or so I thought... As the game began, a girl dribbled towards me… Crash, the sound of two players colliding. It rung throughout the soccer field that day... A few days later I was sitting in the doctor’s office as he read my test results. “You tore your ACL.” Those words are the most dreaded and feared words for a soccer player...”

“I wanted nothing more than to be Kylie Brown - the college soccer player... I realized there is no one to blame... most importantly, I forgave myself. I was not a failure. I was simply a victim of an unpredictable accident while playing a game. This self-pardoning alongside that of those surrounding me engulfed me with hope… Fast forward to 2019 and my phone rings. “Hi Kylie, it is Coach Betty Ann”. “We would love for you to come play for us at West Chester University.” My dream was finally a reality.``

Anna Cancro

Player at LaGrange Rage/Nirvana Intrigue
Student at Arlington High School, Lagrangeville, NY
Attending Binghamton University

“For as long as I can remember, my life has revolved around soccer. It has never just been a sport for me, it has always symbolized so much more. Soccer has made me the person I am today. Growing up surrounded by a team, with values and expectations has shaped me. The hard work and dedication required for every single practice or game, has inspired me to achieve so much more. I began volunteering in the TOPS Soccer Special Needs program at Stringham Park, through Lagrange Soccer. Helping individuals less fortunate than myself was life changing.”

“Through a friend, I found a program called Appalachian Service Project. She had been going for a couple years with her church, and she insisted that I try it. I decided to give it a try, so I headed to West Virginia with a group of people I did not know for the most part, and we arrived at an old high school… I have continued to do Appalachian Service Project, and I have soccer to thank for providing me with the qualities to pursue such an adventure and allowing me to be the successful person I am today.``

Davia Rossi

Player at Blackwatch Premier
Student at Schalmont High School, Schenectady, NY
Attending Binghamton University

“In August 2016 I was diagnosed with cancer. My immaturity might have shown, but I was excited to shave my head…In February of 2017 I had my final treatment and was able to play soccer again soon after. I received an overwhelming amount of support, family and friends, sports teams across New York, people I didn’t even know reached out to me. I was something I never expected, ever.”

“I wonder what motivates me to be the person I am and to get to where I am going, and I can say that it is because of all those people. I carry their thoughts with me every single day…I am the person I am today because of them.”

``The cancer left my body but the impact it had remained. I realized how much this sport meant to me when it was taken away... To say that I dedicated the years following to soccer would be an understatement, and I am excited to start my next journey...``

EDP Foundation 2020 Heidi Sherrick-Duston Memorial Scholarship

Davia M. Rossi (above), recipient of a 2020 EDP Foundation Academic Scholarship, was selected to receive additional recognition - The EDP Foundation 2020 Heidi Sherrick-Duston Memorial Scholarship. The EDP Foundation has decided to rename Davia’s individual scholarship to honor the late Heidi Sherrick-Duston (left) who passed on July 30, 2020 from a hard-fought, 12-year battle with cancer. She was an inspirational figure in the Florida youth soccer community.

Kanishk Nazareth

Player at Lighthouse S.C.
Student at C.B. West High School, Doylestown, PA
Attending University of Virginia

“My cleats have more holes than Camp Greenlake. Yet each giant gaping fissure is a testament to a shift from what I believed soccer to be to what it actually is: from mental match to teeth-gnashing grind, from a tactical form of chess to a daunting, dogged undertaking of determination…``

“At the beginning of my soccer career, my coaches had shown diversity as a negative to any team, and I had unconsciously adopted that attitude. However, finding Lighthouse S.C. sparked a change in my closed-minded attitude. By realizing our differences were what made our team special, I grew to celebrate the individuality in all the people. Valuing those who are unique from me led to a boost in productivity in all of the teams I have led since the shift in my views, a testament to the power of accepting diversity. Now I look forward to each new worldview I encounter because I know it will make me a better leader and person.”

Cory Tindall

Player at Florence Lightning Premier
Student at Florence Township Memorial High School, Florence, NJ
Attending Rowan University

“Where would I be today without having soccer in my life? Honestly, I can’t imagine my life without it. Soccer has been a big part of most of my life. I have met and played with many players over the years both from my hometown as well as other towns around me. Soccer gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of people, and I have made lasting friendships with many of my teammates.``

``In June 2018, while my family and I were in Hershey, PA for my brother’s soccer tournament, my parents got a devastating phone call. Our house was on fire. We were two hours away and there was nothing we could do to save our home or our four dogs who were inside. It was a very dark moment in time for me. I wasn’t sure how I would move on or cope with the loss of our pets, home, and belongings. That August, I turned to my soccer teammates on my high school team to help me get through it and process my feelings. I put my energy into soccer to help me relieve the stress I was feeling from my family’s tragedy. It turned out that I had the best season of my life…”