When Bella Boshara stepped onto the soccer field in her yellow Jaguars uniform, she expected her brother and sister, her parents and the other moms and dads to be spectators at her soccer game. But Bella, freshman, had no idea President Obama would also be in attendance.
Bella was in the same soccer league as Malia Obama, daughter of the President, when she was in fifth grade and lived in Washington D.C., but this would be the only game in which Bella got to face off against Malia. Barack and Michelle Obama and their dog Bo came to watch, arriving flanked by secret service members and parking in a separate lot. While Michelle sat in the stands and chatted with the other moms, President Obama simply sat in the grass to cheer his daughter on.
“There was a lot of excitement but we were all kind of jittery. You know, it’s somebody famous here,” Bella said. “And [the Obamas] seemed pretty chill. They had their dog with them. I think they wanted to get the experience of a normal life. Socialize with the other parents, watch the game, cheer for their daughter’s team. They weren’t trying to draw attention to themselves.”
During the game, Bella played goalie. At one point, Malia dribbled quickly toward Bella and kicked the ball toward the goal. But Bella managed to stop Malia from scoring. Everyone was startled.
“Everyone kind of looked at Obama. But he said, ‘It’s okay, it’s okay, [Malia’s] a good sport,’” Ari Boshara, Bella’s sister, said of the play Bella stopped.
The Jaguars ended up winning and afterward, all the girls on Bella’s team surrounded Obama so he could give them high-fives. But the highlight of the soccer game came when Bella got the opportunity to speak personally with Michelle Obama.
“I said ‘hi’ and I told her I liked all her clothes. She tickled me in the stomach and said, ‘Aw, you’re so sweet,’” Bella said. “That made my day.”
To read about another student who met a famous person, click here:
https://www.thekirkwoodcall.com/features/2012/08/15/finding-fame/
To read about a student who heard Obama speak, click here:
https://www.thekirkwoodcall.com/sports/2012/02/03/red-birds-white-house/
