Brittney Carvalho, a senior at Kapa‘a High School, is the fifth recipient of the 2007 KSC/Rusk-McRoberts scholarship. The announcement was made following the Sassy/Jets fun tournament that marked the end of the Kaua‘i Soccer Club season, states a KSC press
Brittney Carvalho, a senior at Kapa‘a High School, is the fifth recipient of the 2007 KSC/Rusk-McRoberts scholarship.
The announcement was made following the Sassy/Jets fun tournament that marked the end of the Kaua‘i Soccer Club season, states a KSC press release.
Gwen Tamura said, “Not only was she highly recommended, her academic and athletic achievements were very impressive.”
Carvalho, the daughter of Bernard and Regina Carvalho, was able to polish her skills as a leader due to her roles as freshman class treasurer and sophomore class president. She currently is the student body president at Kapa‘a High School.
She has been a member of the Interact Club for four years and the Warrior Student Pride Committee, a PTSA member, day camp leader and PTSA student delegate at the Hawai‘i State Convention, participated in the Read Aloud Program at Kapa‘a Elementary and Relay for Life, and has been a multi-sport athlete while still maintaining her honor roll GPA, Tamura said.
Carvalho’s name and face has appeared in The Garden Island’s Sports pages throughout her high school years in volleyball, soccer and basketball.
She was on KIF All-Star Girls Varsity Volleyball for three years as a middle blocker, a KIF (Kapa‘a High) Girls Varsity Volleyball champ in 2005, co-captain of her team, and voted Kapa‘a High’s Girls Varsity Volleyball Best All Around Player this year.
Named to KIF All-Star Girls Varsity Basketball in her sophomore, junior and senior years, she also earned the 2006 KIF Player of the Year. Carvalho was the team captain in 2007.
Carvalho brought her leadership skills to the soccer field as co-captain for three years and led Kapa‘a High through two KIF Girls Soccer championships as a midfielder.
On the KIF All-Star Girls Varsity Soccer in 2004, 2005 and 2006, she was also recognized by King Auto Center as its 2006 Winter Sports Female Athlete in 2006 and made the HHSAA State Team as an Honorable Mention player.
Starting out on the varsity soccer team in her freshmen year, Carvalho said, “I had the job of retrieving the balls and carrying the ball bag.”
“I knew my place, but that wasn’t going to stop me from trying to earn a starting spot,” she said.
Through strong determination and hard work, she did go on to start in most of the games. Through the years, she remembered what it was like being an underclassmen with the older girls taking her under their wings and looking out for her.
“When I became old enough to drive, it was my turn to look out for the younger teammates,” Carvalho said.
Recognized for her hard work, determination and just being a down-to-earth person, Carvalho’s peers voted her as their Homecoming Queen and Class of 2007 Most Athletic.
Her spirit for the game shines through in all the sports she has participated in, Tamura said.
Completing her final soccer season on the island with KSC U18s, Carvalho is off to Maui this summer to play in the Hawai‘i Cup Invitational with the club’s U19 team.
Soccer will still be a big part of her life. She has been selected and is on the Wolves roster at Western Oregon University, a NCAA Division II team, where she will be majoring in education.
Kaua‘i Soccer Club’s first scholarship recipient, LaRisa Nebre, will be graduating from Seattle University next week with a degree in social work, and then it’s back to Hawai‘i for grad work at HPU. Waika Oliver attends UH-Hilo on a full-ride soccer scholarship with the Vulcans.
JoAnne Kaona is finishing up her sophomore year at UH-Manoa working toward a degree in kinesiology.
Last year’s recipient, Erin Pickett, is at UC-Santa Cruz, majoring in marine biology.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.
com.
