Everyone Speaks Soccer

Andres Tourgee is originally from Juarez, Mexico where he had to overcome a lot of challenges in order to stay alive. He was living on the streets, in poverty, and had lived in two orphanages before he was officially adopted by the Tourgee family. Andres was 11 when he first stepped foot into New Hampshire and started his new life outside of Mexico. In the beginning, Andres struggled to adapt in New Hampshire as he could not speak English and had a hard time communicating with his classmates. Andres recalled being, “…sad because I wanted to talk to the other kids, but didn’t know how to.” So he used sports as an outlet and a way to make friends in school. His mother explained that “At first it was the language barrier, but you can just get out on a soccer field and kick a ball and everyone speaks soccer.” Sports were great for Andres as he used them to become more comfortable in the United States.

Name: Andres Tourgee
Age: 20
Hometown: Peterborough
Local Program: Conval High School
Sports: Basketball & Soccer