President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes club sophomore Zoie Nerida lives her life devoted to God and staying true to her faith. A lover of learning, Nerida lives a conscientious lifestyle with God as her virtue and her older sister by her side, helping to guide her and inspire her with her own unique leadership style.
“Ever since I was born, I’ve been in church and I’ve built my life around God,” Nerida said. “My faith in God is constantly growing.”
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is an international organization that promotes Christian athletes. The club aims to help student athletes get a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Christian athlete. Although it focuses on athletics, anyone is welcome, Nerida said.
Each year FCA has a different theme, with this year’s theme being “Glory.” Nerida explained the theme is about “Giving Florida to John” which refers to the transfer of the Florida territory from Spain to the United States in 1821.
“[The Fellowship of Christian Athletes club reaches] out to others and teaches them the word of God,” Nerida said.
As president of the FCA, Nerida is in charge of planning their leadership meetings, teaching stories and different verses throughout the Bible while also keeping contact with the advisor, Phill Eigenhuis, who works for the FCA organization. Nerida has taken over the role of president after her sister graduated.
Growing up in church and having her father as a pastor, Nerida always had a connection to Christianity and God.
“Out of my four siblings my older sister [Skyler] is the one I look up to the most,” Nerida said. “She’s kind and caring and I love her very much.”
Club advisor Jessica Castaneda and Nerida’s previous English teacher explained that Nerida is an inspiration to others. Her willingness to be open about a personal subject like her religion is admirable and it creates a domino effect of students finding their own voice and inner strength.
“She has a really deep concern for others,” Castaneda said. “Creating a safe, comfortable space for kids to express their faith takes a lot of empathy.”
Nerida participates in many school activities such as band, where she plays the flute, in addition to taking Spanish classes and playing volleyball. Loving the sport since the seventh grade, Nerida plays both beach and indoor volleyball on Buena’s JV team.
“After COVID-19, my older siblings were playing volleyball, and it looked fun,” Nerida said. “At the time I wasn’t sure what sport I wanted to play so I tried volleyball and ended up falling in love with [it].”
The summer after her eighth grade year, Nerida went to a Christian camp where, on the last night, she went out with one of the youth groups where their speaker invited anyone to have a relationship with God or to repent. That night Nerida repented, and, as she said, it felt like one of those moments you, “can’t really explain but you know it was beautiful.”
“My faith in God has grown so much and it’s really important to me that my faith keeps on growing,” Nerida said. “When it comes to God I know he is always going to love me.”
