« Women’s Soccer 2021

Naomi Girma

School
Stanford
Position
D/M
Major
Symbolic Systems

Classroom

Girma carries a 3.92 GPA while majoring in symbolic systems. She is also coterming in management science and engineering.

In her time at Stanford, Girma is a two-time Pac-12 Fall Academic Honor Roll selection and was named to the 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 first team.

She is a member of the Mayfield Fellows Program, which offers an unparalleled opportunity for 12 students to develop the theoretical understanding, practical knowledge and leadership skills needed to establish, scale, and lead principled and responsible tech ventures. Over the span of nine months, fellows build an entrepreneurial mindset through courses, mentoring, networking activities and a paid summer internship, which she spent working with Neo.Tax.

Girma is driven to leave Stanford with two degrees, hoping to utilize her experience in both software engineering and product development to pursue her passion for advancing accessibility and equity for marginalized communities.

Character

Girma is a three-time team captain, as voted upon by her teammates.

Her coaches state that she possesses the highest level of integrity that they have ever had in a player. Girma is a great leader, but an even better human being. She cares about everyone around her and is a fantastic role model for all.

While participating in a US National Team Camp last year, Girma tore her ACL as the fall season was also postponed. Despite not being able to play, she demonstrated her leadership as a captain from the sidelines. Girma also took advantage of an opportunity to improve herself off the field during that time, earning a spot I the Mayfield Fellows Program. She worked tirelessly in her rehab and is now back anchoring the Cardinal defense as a senior in 2021.

Community

Girma volunteers with Soccer Without Borders, whose mission is to use soccer as a vehicle for positive change. They provide under-served youth with a toolkit to overcome obstacles for growth, inclusion, and personal success.

Additionally, Girma has volunteered with Stanford’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s annual A, B, Trees event while serving as a member of the Faculty Relations. It aims to promote literacy in the Bay Area.

Recently, Girma has also worked with Curious Cardinals, a startup created by students at Stanford. They provide guidance to high school students about what it’s like and how to be a successful college student-athlete.

Competition

Girma helped lead Stanford to their 2019 NCAA Championship win. The two-time All-Pac-12 selection has also led the Cardinal to two Pac-12 titles and a second NCAA College Cup appearance.

During that 2019 season, Girma was named a first team All-American, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, and the College Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player. In addition to those accolades, she also earned a spot on the College Cup All-Tournament team, United Soccer Coaches All-West Region first team, and TopDrawerSoccer Best XI first team.

Girma has made a name for herself at the national level as well, as she was named the 2020 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year. She earned a spot with the Senior Women’s National Team and served as a captain of the U17 and U20 Youth National Teams. Representing the United States, Girma has played at both the U17 and U20 World Cups.