Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Romisha Adhikari, nicknamed 'Messi,' plays in Utah's She Belongs program.
- The program, led by Adam Miles, integrates local and refugee girls through soccer.
- Adhikari's leadership shines as the team prepares for a tournament in Madrid.
SALT LAKE CITY — At home, her name is Romisha Adhikari, but on the field, she's known by a name synonymous with soccer stardom.
"Sometimes we call her Mess, sometimes it's Messi," said assistant coach Ellie Frederick.
Adhikari got the nickname when she wore a shirt with the famous forward's name and number to the first team practice.
This Messi doesn't play for Inter Miami but in a program called She Belongs. Eight years ago, when she first arrived in Utah from Nepal with her family, she didn't feel like she did.
"I remember I had a nose ring," Adhikari said. "It felt strange at first because I thought everyone was like looking at me. It was hard to fit in with everyone else."
To help young women like Adhikari, Adam Miles got in the game.
Miles managed portfolios for wealthy clients in San Francisco until he started reassessing his life.
"You start kind of thinking, 'Is this what I want to be doing for the rest of my life? Is it all about making money and helping the rich to get richer?" he said. "It started to hit me and really weigh on my heart. Like, I think I can do other things."
The "other thing" became his nonprofit Bridges to America.
Miles coaches kids in schools with higher refugee populations and runs the She Belongs program, which began in 2023.
The team is, by design, half-local, half-international.
"The nonrefugee girls grew up here, they know how it is to live here and so they can kind of introduce and like share their experience with the refugee girls," Frederick said.
Players grow on the field and off by participating in classes in leadership and advocacy.
"Once they're here more often and they get comfortable, their personalities, their personalities start coming out a little bit more," said head coach Marli Berg. "(Adhikari's) has changed more of like a leadership role this year, which is fun."
"(Adhikari's) got this great combination of like fire and passion, and hustle and energy, and also like calm and kindness," Miles added.
Their season will culminate with an overseas tournament in June this year in Madrid. Miles said that not as many athletes as planned will compete this year because of finances, and two players may not travel because families are concerned about the government's border policies.
This will be Adhikari's second tournament with the team.
"Each of those girls is having an experience that they can take into their life … and they remember that they connected with someone who didn't look like them, who didn't practice their same religion. But they saw their humaneness," Miles said. "When that happens, the community becomes better. The fabric of our community gets stronger."
Adhikari stepped on the field and became a soccer star. With a nickname like that, she knows that she truly does belong.
Photos
Show All 4 Photos
