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Community Champion: Former El Paso soccer star finds success as soccer television reporter

EL PASO, Texas -- Jenny Chiu's dream was to play professional soccer, but her journey toward that goal went another direction.

In high school, Chiu was one of El Paso's best soccer players.

She played at Franklin High School for a couple of years, and after graduation in 2013, Chiu headed to the University of North Carolina on a soccer scholarship.

After graduating from UNC, Chiu was playing professional soccer in Australia when broadcasting became an interest.

"I saw Fox Sports covering a game, and I just went up to talk to them," Chiu said. "It was all about taking risks and that's where the growth came."

Chiu has worked with teams in Major League Soccer, most recently with Orlando City SC where she was a sideline reporter.

The transition from the pitch to behind the camera was tough at first, but practice made perfect.

"The relief and happiness of getting it right and doing well and providing people with extra insight they wouldn't have without a sideline reporter is wonderful," Chiu said. "Being so close to the game again is everything. I'm not ready to be away from the game yet, so that's why I do what I do."

Chiu is also bilingual in both English and Spanish, which definitely comes in handy in a sport like soccer.

"Some of those players never get their voices heard because people can't do that for them," Chiu said. "So they're very thankful that I have that ability and that I can allow the fans to get to know them a little bit."

Chiu is grateful that she still gets to be a part of the game she loves, and her advice to other young women is to be flexible and to try new things.

"It's just growth. It's the opportunity, especially when you're young, why not try what makes you happy? And just keep trying," Chiu said.

For her accomplishments, Chiu has been named a Community Champion.

Community Champions is sponsored by Albertsons and the El Paso Community Foundation.

Article Topic Follows: Sports

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Adrian Ochoa

Adrian Ochoa is ABC-7’s Sports Director.

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