Go West young woman!
Evanston's O'Connor eyes UCLA
By Mike Garofola
Callista O'Connor is "California Dreamin."
The fantasy will become a reality for the Evanston star when attends UCLA next fall.
The 2019 Chicagoland Soccer All-State selection made her decision after visiting schools when her club team Eclipse played in a tournament in San Diego. Judging from her response, it's clear the Wildkits senior is thrilled with her choice.
"My dad and I went to UC-Santa Barbara, Pepperdine, Caltech and over to Claremont to visit Harvey Mudd, Pitzer and Pomona, which were all amazing. UCLA just blew me away, and I am stoked to be heading out there in the fall, and saying 'See ya' to the Midwest," said O'Connor with a laugh.
Although O'Connor will step away from soccer when she arrives at UCLA, she's put plenty into the sport to make herself into the first-class player she has become. She bagged eight goals a year ago while showing the versatility to play either up-top or in the middle of the park for manager Stacy Salgado.
The speedy two-year starter has a killer shot that helps compliment quality on both sides of the ball. She is a player who draws plenty of attention over the course of an 80-minute contest.
O'Connor confirmed her commitment to improve her game when she made the move from FC United, which was much closer to her home, to play for manager Mike Nesci and his Eclipse under-19 ECNL squad.
Nesci, who previously managed both the girls and boys programs at Geneva High School in 1995, has been a major fixture at the Eclipse since joining the club in 2001.
"(Nesci) is great. I've learned so much from him and by playing with a group of girls dedicated to soccer," O'Connor said.
Her dedication extends to the 90-minute drive to the Oak Brook Polo Fields from Evanston that O'Connor and one of her parents would make twice per week.
"My parents would pick me up straight from school," she said. "(If) we didn't leave at that time of the day, it would take forever to get to training because of the traffic.
"It was fun to ride with my parents. (That) plus the one of training with Nesci and my teammates was a great experience as well."
While the veteran continues to follow workouts provided by Salgado, including a recent view of a Real Madrid contest, she is doing all she can to stay fit by running, going on bike rides, and keeping her foot on the ball should the spring season become a reality.
"We were all excited about this season," O'Connor said. "We felt (it) would be a very successful year, (even) with our team losing a couple of really good players to graduation who were dynamic players and great leaders.
"To (not) play this year, and for me, my last one here at Evanston, would be very hard to process."
O'Connor's next adventure will find her pursuing a unique vocation, one that has become near and dear to her heart: urban farming.
Not to be confused with community gardening, urban farming provides food for people in a metropolitan setting. It helps to feed the local populace and often introduces new and healthier foods to its target audience.
"The whole interest in agriculture and enviromental science was catalyzed through volunteering with my soccer team at the vegetable garden at our local YWCA," said O'Connor, who will explore a degree in Enviromental Science at UCLA.
At Evanston, there is a program called Edible Acre that O'Connor became involved with. It is led by the manager of Talking Farm in Skokie, who made a srong impression on the ways and means of sustainable farming and growing.
"(Matt Ryan) runs Talking Farm, and he also teaches an urban agricultural class at school," O'Connor said. "Although I wasn't able to take his class, after talking to him more and more and getting to know him last summer at Talking Farm, I was hooked."
O'Connor was invited to volunteer at Edible Acre and help teach students the skills she learned from Ryan.
In addition, O'Connor served as an intern of sorts at that same YWCA in Evanston, which has expanded its own urban farming footprint.
"It's a great way to give back to the community and to the young kids who participate there at the 'Y' in this program," O'Connor said.
Evanston's O'Connor eyes UCLA
By Mike Garofola
Callista O'Connor is "California Dreamin."
The fantasy will become a reality for the Evanston star when attends UCLA next fall.
The 2019 Chicagoland Soccer All-State selection made her decision after visiting schools when her club team Eclipse played in a tournament in San Diego. Judging from her response, it's clear the Wildkits senior is thrilled with her choice.
"My dad and I went to UC-Santa Barbara, Pepperdine, Caltech and over to Claremont to visit Harvey Mudd, Pitzer and Pomona, which were all amazing. UCLA just blew me away, and I am stoked to be heading out there in the fall, and saying 'See ya' to the Midwest," said O'Connor with a laugh.
Although O'Connor will step away from soccer when she arrives at UCLA, she's put plenty into the sport to make herself into the first-class player she has become. She bagged eight goals a year ago while showing the versatility to play either up-top or in the middle of the park for manager Stacy Salgado.
The speedy two-year starter has a killer shot that helps compliment quality on both sides of the ball. She is a player who draws plenty of attention over the course of an 80-minute contest.
O'Connor confirmed her commitment to improve her game when she made the move from FC United, which was much closer to her home, to play for manager Mike Nesci and his Eclipse under-19 ECNL squad.
Nesci, who previously managed both the girls and boys programs at Geneva High School in 1995, has been a major fixture at the Eclipse since joining the club in 2001.
"(Nesci) is great. I've learned so much from him and by playing with a group of girls dedicated to soccer," O'Connor said.
Her dedication extends to the 90-minute drive to the Oak Brook Polo Fields from Evanston that O'Connor and one of her parents would make twice per week.
"My parents would pick me up straight from school," she said. "(If) we didn't leave at that time of the day, it would take forever to get to training because of the traffic.
"It was fun to ride with my parents. (That) plus the one of training with Nesci and my teammates was a great experience as well."
While the veteran continues to follow workouts provided by Salgado, including a recent view of a Real Madrid contest, she is doing all she can to stay fit by running, going on bike rides, and keeping her foot on the ball should the spring season become a reality.
"We were all excited about this season," O'Connor said. "We felt (it) would be a very successful year, (even) with our team losing a couple of really good players to graduation who were dynamic players and great leaders.
"To (not) play this year, and for me, my last one here at Evanston, would be very hard to process."
O'Connor's next adventure will find her pursuing a unique vocation, one that has become near and dear to her heart: urban farming.
Not to be confused with community gardening, urban farming provides food for people in a metropolitan setting. It helps to feed the local populace and often introduces new and healthier foods to its target audience.
"The whole interest in agriculture and enviromental science was catalyzed through volunteering with my soccer team at the vegetable garden at our local YWCA," said O'Connor, who will explore a degree in Enviromental Science at UCLA.
At Evanston, there is a program called Edible Acre that O'Connor became involved with. It is led by the manager of Talking Farm in Skokie, who made a srong impression on the ways and means of sustainable farming and growing.
"(Matt Ryan) runs Talking Farm, and he also teaches an urban agricultural class at school," O'Connor said. "Although I wasn't able to take his class, after talking to him more and more and getting to know him last summer at Talking Farm, I was hooked."
O'Connor was invited to volunteer at Edible Acre and help teach students the skills she learned from Ryan.
In addition, O'Connor served as an intern of sorts at that same YWCA in Evanston, which has expanded its own urban farming footprint.
"It's a great way to give back to the community and to the young kids who participate there at the 'Y' in this program," O'Connor said.