St. Michael’s goalkeeper making a different kind of save off the field

COLCHESTER, Vt. (WCAX) - There’s always that one person on any team that makes you say, ‘You know what? Every team needs to have this type of person.’

The St. Michael’s College women’s soccer team has theirs in junior goalkeeper Katie Escobedo.

She shaves her head for a good cause to raise awareness for childhood cancer with St. Baldrick’s. She’s also a pretty good goalkeeper -- of course -- for the Saints, blocking shots and keeping her team in games. But there’s a different kind of save Escobedo is making off the field.

Escobedo volunteers with the St. Michael Fire and Rescue squad where she works as an EMT. It’s an independent student run organization that serves the community through fire protection and emergency medical treatment. Not many colleges out there can say that they do this.

“Medicine has always sort of been in the family,” Escobedo said. “And I remember when I was younger, and they would talk about things at the kitchen table, and I would always want to know what they were talking about. I always felt safe with them because they would know what to do, and I kind of wanted to be that person to other people.”

Blocking shots in-between the posts on a soccer field is nothing new for Escobedo. When she’s not busy saving shots on goal, she’s out saving lives.

It takes a certain type of leader to do what Escobedo does. From being a student-athlete to being on the front-line for people in need, not many can say they’ve seen some of the things Escobedo and her fellow volunteers have seen.

If there’s one thing, it’s that she cares. She’s everything that you’d want a teammate to be.

“When I think about leaders, they come to serve,” St. Michael’s College head women’s soccer coach Wendy Elles said. “And she is constantly serving whatever group she is involved with.”

Sometimes it’s early shifts in the morning before class. Other times it might be later in the evening and it maybe leaves you wondering how does someone like Escobedo find the time to do all of this? She’d tell you that she just needs a few power naps and she’s good to go. But above it all, it’s something that she enjoys and Escobedo always finds time to help others.

“She just puts her heart into everything,” St. Michael’s College junior midfielder Cassidy Koons said. “So whether it’s soccer, rescue, the nursing home, or school, I swear this girl never sleeps.”

To some there might not be enough time in a day. But to Escobedo, she’s too busy making the days count.

“I find that if it’s something you really want to do, then you can make time for it,” Escobedo said.

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