FOCUSED, fearless and fun are attributes which best describe Annouscka Kordom. The Brave Gladiators’ star is maturing into a confident woman with limitless potential on and off the football field in the United States of America.
The 21-year-old has been at Corban University in Salem, Oregon since 2015, playing football and pursuing a bachelor’s degree in health science and business, with emphasis on marketing and sports management.
Following her matriculation at Eldorado High School in Windhoek, she was selected as the most suitable candidate for a fully- funded scholarship at one of the top private universities in America.
The skilful midfielder was recently offered a second scholarship to pursue her master’s next year, a challenge she accepted and is looking forward to.
“It’s been really good. I’m heading into my final year for my bachelor’s degree, and I feel Corban has prepared me well. Corban is big on practical work, which has allowed for me to work with real-world projects every semester I have been here,” she told The Namibian Sport in an interview.
“Because I have two more years left on my contract with Corban University Women’s Soccer and only one more year left before I graduate, I got an offer to continue my education whilst still playing for them.
“I will be pursing my master’s here at Corban University. I chose to pursue an MA instead of an MBA because of what I want to do after school,” Kordom explained.
Much has been made of the mental fragility of Namibian footballers, who rarely venture too far from home and their comfort zones.
Kordom ranks among a handful of exceptions to buck that trend, having been a bright-eyed teenager when she embarked on an enriching and life-altering journey.
A dreamer who is determined to make the most of her opportunities, Kordom is aware that her success abroad will inspire others back home to aspire for excellence.
Much like her compatriot Zenatha Coleman’s continued brilliance in Europe has elevated the women’s football profile in Namibia.
“What keeps me going is reminding myself of the opportunity I have. Not many people can say they’ve been put into situations like mine. God has been really good to me the last couple years by providing me with endless opportunities,” the level-headed Kordom said.
“Studying and playing abroad has always been a dream. Being in contact with people at home soothes the homesickness a little bit too. It connects me with my roots in some sort”.
Never one to shrink from a challenge, a quality she’s renowned for on the pitch, Kordom has juggled school and sport simultaneously since she was 12.
She has a passion for both, and cannot begin to imagine life without either.
“I just prioritise,” she says of her demanding schedule.
“In my life, both education and sport have equal importance. I use tools to help me remember everything I have to do.
“I have two monthly calendars and a weekly blackboard in my room. This helps me plan out my time. One calendar has all the important engagements I have to go to. These include doctor’s appointments, international student events, team meetings in the off-season, and school events. The other has all my assignments with due dates.
“My blackboard has assignments I plan to do on a daily basis. This helps me stay on course, and not have to play catch-up anytime during the semester. Organisation is key,” she explains.
Her effervescent personality aside, part of Kordom’s seamless assimilation into US culture as a foreign student are the people around her.
She gets along pretty well with just about everyone.
“I think it’s different for everyone. The experience depends on the school and the environment they’re put in. There are private schools, and there are state (public) schools. I go to a private Christian university, and my experience has been one of the greatest in my life,” she narrated warmly.
“My school is very small, and everybody goes out of their way to know everyone. At Corban, we look past identifying people just as students. We consider everyone as family, and that’s what makes this school special,” Kordom emphasised.
“International students are made to feel at home because of the school’s values. We get connected with American families so that we have a place to go to during holidays. Sometimes, the students themselves invite us to their homes to meet their families. I have a place I can call home here, and that’s only because a girl wanted to make me feel welcome. Today, I consider her my sister and her family my family,” she beamed.
On the football front, her game has improved significantly, although she has not been able to feature much for the Brave Gladiators over the past three years due to her studies.
She attributes her improvement to the prominence of the women’s game in the US, who are the most successful internationally, winning three Fifa Women’s World Cup titles, four Olympic women’s gold medals, eight Concacaf Gold Cups, and 10 Algarve Cups.
“The football is very different here. The style of play is different, the coaching is different, their philosophies are different. Different in a good way,” she observed.
“I believe playing here has helped me grow a little in terms of sports intellect, and the way I play. I played under a Namibian coach my first two years, which was one of the best experiences here in America. Most American teams focus on physique, so some games are very physical.
For one so young, Kordom is an experienced Brave Gladiators regular who has represented her country in every age group.
