26 Jan Kicking Goals: at 18 years old, Billie Orth’s dreams are already well underway.
After a lifetime of backyard soccer, Billie first started playing with a club at the age of 13. Five years later, and she’s been accepted on a scholarship to Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU).
“Honestly, before I even started playing club soccer, I told my dad that my dream was to go to America to play soccer, and now I guess that’s all coming true,” said Billie.
Billie said that the opportunity came about as she was scrolling through Instagram and came across a sponsor for a company called ASM scholarships, who she has now been with for about a year. Four months before her graduation from Toolooa State High School last year, Billie had offers from three different schools, including ENMU.
“I was completely shocked, and I’m so thankful for this opportunity and I hope it can inspire other people in a similar position to do the same.”
Billie currently works at the Bluebirds Coffee House in Boyne Island, and at the Gladstone Aquatic Centre as a lifeguard.
“I also completely and totally adore my family and friends, and I am and always will be grateful to them for their support of me through this entire journey. My lifelong dream overall is just to help as many people smile as I possibly can.”
Of course, there is no small cost associated with a huge move overseas.
“Overall, it will take about $7000 just to get over there. I’ve been talking to a couple of people about potentially getting raffle tickets or a sausage sizzle together to make some extra money and spread the word. I’ve also got a GoFundMe page; if people could even share it and donate $1, that’s honestly all I could ever ask for.”
Billie will be leaving for New Mexico on July 28th this year, and if you are able to donate to help fund her dream, you can do so at https://gofund.me/516229a9.
“If any of the people reading this have helped me in some way or another in my entire dream, whether it be training, support, or anything- I appreciate you, and I thankful to every single one of you, more than you can imagine.”
