2013 Latino Spirit Award Honoree - Brenda Villa (Achievement in Athletics/Sports)

May 06, 2013

Pictured: Asm. Cristina Garcia, Sen. Ricardo Lara, Brenda Villa, Speaker John A. Pérez, Asm. Anthony Rendon

Brenda Villa is the most decorated female water polo player in the Olympic era, a four-time Olympic medalist (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012) and World Champion (2003, 2007, 2009).  She started swimming at age six with Commerce Aquatics in Commerce, California and began playing water polo at age eight.  Named the "FINA Female Water Polo Player of the Decade" for the 2000s, Brenda is an accomplished scorer and passer who has competed with the USA Women’s national team for the last 16 years. As an undergraduate at Stanford University, she won the 2002 Peter J. Cutino Award as the top female college water polo player. Brenda also co-founded a non-profit, Project 2020, which strives to provide youth who do not have access to swimming pools and aquatic sports an opportunity to play.give access to aquatic sports to youth that would otherwise not have access to aquatic sports. Brenda is now the Head of Aquatics Outreach at the Belle Haven Pool in Menlo Park, California. She hopes to continue inspiring youth with her story of overcoming the odds and Dreaming Big.