It is no secret that Shadow Ridge Flag Football is a force to be reckoned with as they’ve won back to back state championships the last two years. A piece to that puzzle is senior Aaliyah Jaime. Jaime was recently recognized by the Las Vegas Raiders for not only her stellar academics, but also for being a Hispanic women’s athlete.
“I was recognized for two awards from the Raiders. The first was in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month. Being a female athlete and being someone of Hispanic origin there aren’t a lot of opportunities that are given to us and we aren’t really recognized nearly as much as others since we are female athletes,” says Jaime. “The second award was the Raiders Intermountain Health Impact Player of the Year Award. For this award you have to have an outstanding GPA along with hours of community service and play sports, specifically flag football and tackle football for boys. In addition to that you have to be nominated by someone like a coach for this award. Once this is completed you go through the process of nominees and the Raiders reach out to you if you are chosen.”
Jaime remains so humble about her amazing achievements and further proves there is nothing standing in her way.
“Being able to receive this recognition makes me feel almost unstoppable and proud. There are so many people in the world who don’t have these opportunities like I did and being able to go up there and receive this award as a female Hispanic athlete means so much to me. I feel like I’m able to show other female athletes that there are people like us out there and with the hard work we put in we should be recognized too,” says Jaime. “I feel like I could be used as inspiration and motivation for younger female athletes to show them that what they do both on the field, off the field, in the classroom, and at home matters and does make a difference.”
While the glory felt amazing for Jaime, this was a special day that she was stoked to share with her teammates and family.
Jaime says, “I think the best part of being recognized was seeing everyone’s faces after I was put up on the screen. No one really knew I was getting the award and my family and teammates were all in awe of what I had accomplished. I think seeing them happy was a moment I will never forget and
additionally being up there made me feel like I had made a difference and was representing who I am, where I come from, and even some of the people who have impacted my life greatly even if they are no longer here. I thought about the difference that I made from all the hard work that I have put in and I’m not done just yet. I want to continue to make a difference and change our future for these next generations of athletes.”
The Raiders worked to make this a truly hard to forget thing for Jaime making sure everything was perfect for her special day.
“Leading up to the day the Raiders kept in touch with me throughout the week to make sure I had anything I needed or any questions that I had were answered. They provided me with tickets to the game and free entry. I ended up getting 4 tickets for the game and was able to bring my family. They additionally provided our flag coaches with additional tickets so that my team could also be there to support me on this day. I was escorted to my seats at the game and we recorded a video that aired on TV later during the game of me receiving the award,” says Jaime.
