The American professional soccer player, Naomi Girma’s parents are Girma Aweke and Seble Demissie.
Both of her parents are Ethiopian immigrants who met in the Bay area in Northern California.
She also has an older brother, Nathaniel, who is three years older than her.
Born on June 14, 2000, in San Jose, California, Naomi Haile Girma is a defender for San Diego Wave FC in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team.
Growing up, she played for a local club that her father formed for the Bay Area Ethiopian community in 2005.
The defender attended Hacienda Elementary School and committed to play for the Stanford Cardinal, where she served as a captain and even won the 2019 Women’s College Cup.
Naomi started her professional career after getting selected by the San Diego Wave FC as the first pick of the 2020 NWSL Draft.
Moreover, she has played for the national team at different levels, U17, U19, U20, and senior teams.
With the U20 team, she won the 2020 CONCACAF Women’s U20 Championship and US Soccer Young Female Player of the Year award.
Additionally, the defender was named to the US squad for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in June.
Naomi Girma Parents
The skilled Wave defender’s parents are Girma Aweke and Seble Demissie.
At only 19 years old, Girma left his home country Ethiopia and migrated to San Jose.
Reportedly, he was able to survive due to the kindness of complete strangers, which inspired Naomi’s dad to start the Maleda Soccer Club.
Life as an immigrant wasn’t easy for him at first, and found it hard to land any job to make his ends meet.
He worked as a cleaner, dishwasher, and even a busboy to finance his college education. And eventually, he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering.
Similarly, Selbe Demissie, the defender’s mother, is another Ethiopian immigrant like her husband.
Despite the fact of not having the greatest education, Seble worked hard and bagged the job as a bank manager in San Jose.
She is an inspiration to all the women who are thriving as full-time employees and moms.
Despite their hardships, they ensured their kids got a comfortable life, and instilled in them the importance of hard work to achieve their dreams.
Naomi Girma Brother Nathaniel Girma
The professional soccer player has an older brother named Nathaniel Girma.
Just like his sister, he is also an athlete and, most importantly, the reason why Naomi joined soccer.
However, as Naomi’s brother grew older, he opted to play basketball rather than soccer.
Seeing both Girma siblings pursuing their careers in sports made their father proud as a fellow athlete.
Tribute To Katie Meyer
The soccer star made a tribute to her best friend, Katie Meyer, who committed suicide at 22.
Katie shared moving memories and reflections on her friendship with Meyer.
She attended Stanford with Meyer, who was the captain and goalkeeper of Stanford’s soccer team.
Naomi wrote about keeping her memory alive and expressed about dedicating the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup to her late friend, Katie.
