Growing up in Chicago, Lucy Mucino did well in school and played rugby at her high school, Rauner College Prep, but there was something missing. “I grew up in a not so well-rounded household,” Mucino says. And even school didn’t feel like the most positive environment. But that changed when her high school guidance counselor suggested she speak with two individuals from an organization called Girls in the Game. Mucino knew nothing about the group but took the meeting anyway.

When she arrived, a woman aptly named Coach Margaret told Mucino that their organization provided sports and leadership activities to girls throughout Chicago and that Mucino could help out by running workshops for younger children as a counselor. Mucino, an athlete herself, liked the idea of helping other girls through sports, and when she found out the organization also offered scholarship opportunities, she applied right away and eventually joined the Teen Squad program. Years later, she’s still contributing to the group that’s done so much for her.