Join us for the up-coming WSI webinar "Strength to strength: Continuing the legacy of girls and women in sport"!!
- Date/Time: July 22nd at 2:00pm EDT
- Format: Presentation, Q & A, and discussion
- Language: English (Closed Captions available)
Speaker: Members of the WSI new task force " Strength to strength: Continuing the legacy of girls and women in sport":
- Sonia Lamarre
- Natsuki Murakami
- Megan Chopra
- Maka Chikowero
- Ruby Ann Kagaoan
Speaker: Sonia Lamarre
My name is Sonia Lamarre, and I am an early enrolled student-athlete at Seattle University, where I compete as a Division I soccer player. I am also a proud member of the Trinidad and Tobago Senior Women’s National Soccer Team. My athletic journey includes participation in elite U.S. youth leagues such as ECNL, ECNL Regional League, and the Olympic Development Program (ODP).
Off the field, I am a dedicated scholar and active member of the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS). I have engaged in various academic enrichment and research, having had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Ben Vinson, current President of Howard University, and Dr. Margaret McKenzie, President of Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital.
I am passionate about community service and regularly participate in volunteer work within my community, striving to make a positive difference both locally and globally.
Speaker: Natsuki Murakami
My name is Natsuki Murakami, and I am an international student-athlete from Japan studying Exercise and Sport Science at Western Colorado University in the United States. I play for the university’s NCAA Division II women’s soccer team.
I have been playing soccer for 15 years, since I was 6 years old. I truly believe that sport plays a powerful role in helping girls build confidence, find their voice, and realize their potential, both on and off the field.
I am actively involved in WomenSport International (WSI). In 2024, I attended CSW68 in New York and contributed to WSI’s promotional efforts through social media. Throughout my journey with WSI, I have had the opportunity to meet many inspiring female leaders who have encouraged me to take action and keep challenging myself. This is why I am passionate about empowering girls through sport.
As an international student and athlete in the U.S., I hope to bridge cultures and inspire the next generation through the power of sport.
Speaker: Megan Chopra
My name is Megan Chopra and I am an incoming Freshman at Columbia University in New York City. I am the author of Redefining the Field: The Triumphs and Tribulation of Women in Sports, a recently published book that consists of 30 interviews with women leaders in sports from all sectors including sports management, coaching, business, social justice, analytics, journalism, and more. The goal of the book is to inspire young girls to pursue their dreams within sports, showcase the variety of job opportunities in the sports industry, and share the stories and journeys of incredible yet often unrecognized women in sports.
Speaker: Maka Chikowero
Maka Chikowero is a sports and gender advocate from Madison, WI, and a senior at St. Catherine's University in St. Paul, MN. She is the founder and president of MTC Educate A Girl Inc., an athlete, a member of the UN Generation Equality Youth Task Force for adolescent girl leaders, and the immediate past president of the Rozaria Memorial Trust Girls Clubs of North America. Maka has received several awards in both Zimbabwe and the USA, including a nomination for the prestigious International Children’s Peace Prize in 2020.
MTC Educate A Girl Inc promotes volunteerism, advocacy, and community activism by providing psychosocial support to marginalized girls and survivors of child marriage. The organization also invites poverty mentors, community health workers, and law enforcement agents to speak on issues related to sexual and reproductive health and rights, abuse, and gender-based violence. MTC is dedicated to supporting orphaned girls and those from low-income and rural areas of Zimbabwe to stay in school, play sports, acquire entrepreneurial skills, and combat period poverty.
Speaker: Ruby Ann Kagaoan
Ruby Ann Kagaoan is a dynamic leader in global sports governance and inclusion. She currently serves as the Intercontinental President of CONIFA Asia & Oceania, a role highlighted when she formally received her mandate during CONIFA’s AGM in January 2023 by a unanimous vote of the member associations. Her commitment to transparency, cultural representation, and humanitarian sport has earned her strong endorsements, including being described as “a person of action, high intelligence, and integrity” in a sports-related professional recommendation.
Ruby is also broadening her expertise through international engagement. She interned remotely with Play the Game, an organization dedicated to promoting ethical governance and freedom of expression in sport, as part of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s program in the Governance and Administration of Leisure and Sports (GOALS) hosted by the Université de Lille, Nicolaus Copernicus University, the University of Lisbon, LUNEX University, and Mykolas Romeris University.
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