Tara Moore is a passionate soccer player and is a leader at LACES Middle School. With a 4.0 GPA, she was valedictorian of her class and spoke at her eighth-grade graduation this month.
Moore competes in four different soccer teams, including LACES Beyond the Bell Soccer team and on her AYSO United LA Club Team in South Los Angeles. The players on her club team have been playing together since Moore was 10 years old.
Her club team went undefeated in the AYSO and become a club team.
“They started us at a ranking called Silver League, we were playing other teams in our ranking and we kept winning titles,” Moore said. “And then to Gold and then we won our Gold titles and now we are in Premiere, which is the highest level and we basically just have to stay here and defend our title.”
The teams Moore are involved in help her in different ways, some feed her competitive spirit while others allow her to enjoy playing soccer.
“My club team, we play with overall more control and we have more of an idea of the game,” Moore said. “AYSO, that’s more about having fun at tournaments … AYSO is where I reserve my passion for the sport because it’s so much fun.”
Moore is a member of an All-Star team and got the opportunity to compete in tournaments. Her team once qualified for a national tournament in Florida. Diminutive and athletic, Moore has dabbled in tennis, volleyball, and football.
When she was younger, Moore competed in golf, track, and tennis. Through track and field, Moore qualified for the Junior Olympics, running in the 400m and 4x400m events.
“My dad started me in a lot of different sports when I was younger,” Moore said. “I’ve really grown a passion for all sports of all kinds.”
As a student, Moore is a member of the Junior National Honors Society and is Middle School President. As president, she is on the cabinet for her Leadership class. Being a president helped Moore find her voice as she administrated student think tanks, worked with LACES high school students and help organize event logistics.
“All of the events at school, we work everything out the budget, paper, all of the resources we have at school,” Moore said. “I’ve become stronger and able to maintain my own, also with planning different events I’ve become very organized.”
Both United States and World History is Moore’s favorite subject. She mentioned how LACES is “a very academic school” provides a supportive and encouraging environment.
“All of my teachers are always very supportive, and we have very nice facilities,” said “We have the tools and the teachers we need to succeed.”
Moore and her mother do volunteer work for Big Sunday where they donate to people who are less fortunate.
“We’ve been going a couple of years on MLK Day, right before the parade, and we sort out clothes for the homeless,” Moore said. “It shows you the value to the things that we have and we donate our clothes and we separate them into bags … and create different food bags, give them out.”
