Gabriella Foster has played soccer her entire life: high school, club season, college and even semi-pro.
Along with soccer, Foster’s other passion is her job as the new assistant to the head of high school and the assistant to the athletic director. She replaced former staff member Shara Reeves.
Foster describes herself as “bubbly,” “friendly” and “athletic.” And her favorite sport has always been soccer.
Her high-school team, the La Costa Canyon Mavericks, was ranked number one in the nation.
And her high-school club team, Surf Soccer, won a state cup.
At Biola, she led the team in goals, total shots, shots on goal and total points in 2007. And she did all this as a first-semester freshman.
However, Foster wanted to play soccer at a higher level, so during her second semester as a freshman she transferred to University of Tampa in Florida, a Div. II team.
“We were national champs in Div. II. We were ranked between one and eight in the nation,” she said.
They won Div. II champs in 2007, when Foster was a freshman.
After college she continued playing soccer for Pinellas County United, a semi-pro team in Florida.
“A few people who played on the semi-pro team are actually on the U.S. national team,” Foster said.
Foster said that she doesn’t keep in touch with these players.
“I mean I follow them on Facebook,” she added. “Every once in awhile I would comment something on one of their photos.”
Foster played against Kelley O’Hara, who is a wingback and midfielder for the U.S. team, during club season.
Foster said she wanted to try out for the national team, but had some setbacks, and never did.
“I wasn’t strong enough, and I had to work,” she said.
Foster has previous experience in working at schools.
Before moving to Sacramento, she worked at Roosevelt Elementary School, in Florida, where she taught kindergarten and first grade.
She also worked at Merryhill Elementary and Middle School in Midtown Sacramento. She taught fifth grade and junior-high math.
And she has worked as a substitute in the SCDS lower school.
Foster said that the community of Country Day was what attracted her most to the job.
“Everyone’s very friendly and welcoming,” she said.
According to Foster, her greatest strengths are her organization, outgoing personality and need to stay busy.
Her boss, Brooke Wells, would agree.
“She’s doing a great job,” Wells said. “She has a very strong set of skills.”
Soccer remains a big part of Foster’s life, and she still enjoys playing the sport whenever she can.
She also loves cooking and baking and her South African husband, an undergraduate student at Sacramento State University.
–By Annya Dahmani
