The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) is one of the most successful teams when it comes to women’s soccer, with over 500 victories in history. Out of the 23 current members of the USWNT, however, Megan Rapinoe seems to catch my attention the most.

Rapinoe is a 34-year-old professional player who serves mainly as a winger or midfielder. Starting from the U.S. under-16 National Soccer Team in 2002, she progressively moved up to the Senior National Team in 2006. She scored 50 goals and assisted 59 in total, according to the U.S. Soccer website. Being one of the five players who had ever made two goals in an Olympic semi-final, there is no doubt that Rapinoe is a talented player. She’s more than just that, in fact, even those who have the slightest knowledge of her would know that she can be an important figure when demanding change.
Rapinoe was never afraid to speak her mind. This part of her personality, particularly, had a huge impact on the way I cope with my daily problems.

Rapinoe had always been pretty open with her political views and had voiced them on different platforms, including interviews, social media, as well as through other actions. She is sick and tired of the President’s double standards when it comes to gender. She has kneeled down during the performance of the U.S. National Anthem and particularly provoked the ire of President Trump and his supporters on Twitter.

Besides this, she is also an outspoken advocate on numerous topics such as equal rights, including equal pay between the Men’s National Team (USMNT) and the USWNT. The USMNT is known to have way better wages than the Women’s National Team. Upset as she is, she spoke up to organizations in charge. Together as USWNT, they have formed a bill to equal pay. As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, she became an advocate for plenty of LGBTQ+ organizations, including the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. The sponsorships by famous brands such as Nike and Samsung have helped her spread her voice all over the world.
Rapinoe’s confidence led me to believe that she wasn’t afraid of the consequences that might come with her actions. I believe that taking bold actions and voicing one’s opinions is the process needed to achieve a favorable outcome.

Rapinoe has shown me that it is okay to look different, think different, or even act differently. This helps me acknowledge that there will always be people and different organizations to support the positive decisions I make, even if it doesn’t show. Therefore, I believe that Rapinoe, truly, is the role model we all need.