My name is Valeri Garcia (Quintero). I graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Teaching in 1998. When I started there, I had wanted to be a college coach and believed that SJSU would give me the best education to become one. I set out to be a college coach and was able to be one but for only two years. I turned my attention to college advising but knew, in my heart, that it was youth sports that I would enjoy the most.
During college and after graduation, I continued to coach and help out here and there with several teams but stopped until I had my own kids and it was time for them to play sports. I now have three amazing, beautiful daughters. Annelise is 10 years old and Mia and Micaela are 7 (yes, twins!). I’m a youth sports coach in multiple sports, mostly softball. Recently, I was awarded the Positive Coaching Alliance’s Double-Goal Coaching award. At a banquet last week, I was given the opportunity to speak and when I did, I made sure to speak about how wonderful and amazing the faculty and my department was at SJSU and how much I learned from them. I’ve been asked how I know how to coach and I tell them that I have had great coaches to learn from but I was extremely lucky to have had professionals in the field to teach me through my major. Though I’m not coaching as a career, I do utilize many ideas that I learned as a student into my job as a college advisor at UC Davis for a program called Guardian Scholars. We provide support to students that are former foster youth.
It’s long overdue but I want to extend my gratitude for the faculty and education I received from all of you. I recognize many names from the website that are still teaching that were my professors when I attended. I’m so glad to know that SJSU’s Kinesiology department continues to have the BEST faculty.
Here is an article in the SacBee that came out today about youth sports. I was mentioned but, again, I don’t know if i could have be the coach I am today without all of you.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/
Valeri Garcia (Quintero)
Class of 1998