The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Jessica Do: How I Found My Love for Soccer
10/18/2017 12:25:00 PM | Women's Soccer
From Refugees to Americans: How I found my love my soccer
By: Jay D'Abramo
Most people acknowledge leaving home for the first time is an exciting and enticing experience. Most people, however, don't envision escaping a country at age 15 as an appealing way to begin adolescence.
For Vietnamese refugees Minh Do and Hang Mai, parents of UAB women's soccer junior midfielder Jessica Do, fleeing Vietnam as teenagers in the mid-80s was a chance to find opportunity and a better life in the United States.
"My mom was at sea for about 14 days and all they had to eat was rice," Do said. "They also didn't have boats with motors, all they could do was drift on the water in rice boats."
Hang was ultimately rescued at sea by the United States Navy and was taken to a Philippines refugee camp for approximately one year. She would later make her way to the United States and settle in Portland, Oregon.
Minh also escaped Vietnam by boat and made his way to a refugee camp in Malaysia before journeying to Portland and crossing paths with Hang in Sunday School.
"Malaysia was where my father was introduced to soccer," Do said. "He would play for hours because there was nothing else to do. That's where his love for soccer stemmed and he passed that on to me."
Minh joined the United States Air Force and later married Hang in a ceremony in Oregon. The couple left the Pacific Northwest a few years later and migrated to Louisiana, where Jessica was born on January 9, 1997 in Shreveport. Her brother Joseph was born four years earlier in Oregon.
Subsequent moves to Arizona and Colorado in the years that followed provided Jessica with an outlet to the game of soccer.
"I remember living in Colorado and watching my dad and brother play soccer in the back yard," Do said. "I always tried to play with them, but I was still way too small and they would push me to the side. My brother was also always traveling with club teams and I would go with him a lot, so that also helped my love for soccer grow."
That love continued through stops in Texas, Virginia and Georgia and confirmed Do's desire to pursue soccer as more than just a hobby. She enrolled at Houston County High School in Warner Robbins, Georgia, prior to her sophomore year and turned her focus towards preparing for collegiate soccer.
"A girl on my high school team was super interested in UAB and she would usually send emails back and forth with the coaching staff," Do said. "The head coach at UAB came to Georgia to watch her play, but ended up watching more of me play and liked me better. He wanted to reach out to me and talk more about UAB, but he couldn't find any contact information on me since my school didn't provide coaches with that information. He ended up asking the girl who originally emailed him about how to get in touch with me. That's how I got scouted and ended up at UAB."
Do ultimately chose to attend UAB and has played an instrumental part of its success during her first three years in the Green and Gold. She's started every game this season for a Blazer squad that has already doubled its win total from a season ago.
Her parents, who now live in Colorado, make frequent trips to Birmingham and to other cities around the country to see their daughter play and fulfil a lifelong dream.
"My parents have given up a lot for me and it means so much knowing how much time they take out of their day for me," Do said. "I always try to play better when I see my dad because he's my hero. He taught me how to play soccer and he gave me this life, and I'm so grateful for him being who he is."
Hang and Minh left their native country over 30 years ago with an uncertain future staring them in the face. Little did they know how their dreams and aspirations would shape their daughter in her quest for excellence on the field and in her daily life. It's that ambition and courage that Jessica keeps with her every day as she strives towards a professional career in soccer and a degree in health related professions.
By: Jay D'Abramo
Most people acknowledge leaving home for the first time is an exciting and enticing experience. Most people, however, don't envision escaping a country at age 15 as an appealing way to begin adolescence.
For Vietnamese refugees Minh Do and Hang Mai, parents of UAB women's soccer junior midfielder Jessica Do, fleeing Vietnam as teenagers in the mid-80s was a chance to find opportunity and a better life in the United States.
"My mom was at sea for about 14 days and all they had to eat was rice," Do said. "They also didn't have boats with motors, all they could do was drift on the water in rice boats."
Hang was ultimately rescued at sea by the United States Navy and was taken to a Philippines refugee camp for approximately one year. She would later make her way to the United States and settle in Portland, Oregon.
Minh also escaped Vietnam by boat and made his way to a refugee camp in Malaysia before journeying to Portland and crossing paths with Hang in Sunday School.
"Malaysia was where my father was introduced to soccer," Do said. "He would play for hours because there was nothing else to do. That's where his love for soccer stemmed and he passed that on to me."
Minh joined the United States Air Force and later married Hang in a ceremony in Oregon. The couple left the Pacific Northwest a few years later and migrated to Louisiana, where Jessica was born on January 9, 1997 in Shreveport. Her brother Joseph was born four years earlier in Oregon.
Subsequent moves to Arizona and Colorado in the years that followed provided Jessica with an outlet to the game of soccer.
"I remember living in Colorado and watching my dad and brother play soccer in the back yard," Do said. "I always tried to play with them, but I was still way too small and they would push me to the side. My brother was also always traveling with club teams and I would go with him a lot, so that also helped my love for soccer grow."
That love continued through stops in Texas, Virginia and Georgia and confirmed Do's desire to pursue soccer as more than just a hobby. She enrolled at Houston County High School in Warner Robbins, Georgia, prior to her sophomore year and turned her focus towards preparing for collegiate soccer.
"A girl on my high school team was super interested in UAB and she would usually send emails back and forth with the coaching staff," Do said. "The head coach at UAB came to Georgia to watch her play, but ended up watching more of me play and liked me better. He wanted to reach out to me and talk more about UAB, but he couldn't find any contact information on me since my school didn't provide coaches with that information. He ended up asking the girl who originally emailed him about how to get in touch with me. That's how I got scouted and ended up at UAB."
Do ultimately chose to attend UAB and has played an instrumental part of its success during her first three years in the Green and Gold. She's started every game this season for a Blazer squad that has already doubled its win total from a season ago.
Her parents, who now live in Colorado, make frequent trips to Birmingham and to other cities around the country to see their daughter play and fulfil a lifelong dream.
"My parents have given up a lot for me and it means so much knowing how much time they take out of their day for me," Do said. "I always try to play better when I see my dad because he's my hero. He taught me how to play soccer and he gave me this life, and I'm so grateful for him being who he is."
Hang and Minh left their native country over 30 years ago with an uncertain future staring them in the face. Little did they know how their dreams and aspirations would shape their daughter in her quest for excellence on the field and in her daily life. It's that ambition and courage that Jessica keeps with her every day as she strives towards a professional career in soccer and a degree in health related professions.
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
/ Women's SoccerUAB MBB vs WKU (Exhibition) | Postgame Press Conference
Thursday, October 30
Monday Morning with Mort | Week 10
Tuesday, October 28
Monday Morning with Mort | Week 11
Saturday, October 25
UAB Football | The Rewind: Game 7 vs Memphis | Battle For The Bones
Friday, October 24
