In partnership with NCSA, the official responsible recruiting services provider of US Lacrosse, we are proud to highlight our newest Impact Athletes — boys’ and girls’ high school lacrosse players who are supporting their communities with special efforts. 

We recognize that these are unusual times, but great challenges also offer great opportunities, and US Lacrosse continues to receive and share some of these stories. This week, we highlight a young man in Pennsylvania and two sisters in Missouri who are making a difference off-the-field.

US Lacrosse has created an easy-to-use online submission form so you can share your stories and photos with us. US Lacrosse reviews all submissions and selects exemplary high school athletes to recognize. These are their stories.

Alexander Forgosh, Orefield, Pa.

As a defenseman at Parkland High School and with the Headstrong Lehigh Valley club, Alex has learned that no one can succeed without help. He understands that a well-organized defense is far more effective than the sum of its individual talents, and in fact, it's the coordination of a team working together as a unit that appeals to him most.

As a leader on the field, Alex was captain of his undefeated JV team and selected as the squad’s defensive player of the year. He also helps to lead the school's off-season captain's practices.

Off the field, Alex is active in many different pursuits to help others. On his own campus, he tutors other high school students who need help with their assignments. He has also serves as a volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club, organizing games, playing with the children, and helping them with their schoolwork.

Motivated by Headstrong Lacrosse to help support local families fighting pediatric cancer, Alex collected pledges of over $2,500 to shave his head for the St. Baldrick's Foundation. He also organized his lacrosse team's support for the Women's 5K Classic, an annual event that raises funds for local women fighting breast cancer. 

Last winter, Alex spent 10 days abroad on a service trip with Israel Lacrosse. He collected over 100 pounds of donated lacrosse equipment and split his time between playing lacrosse and leading outreach programs for underprivileged children. Alex is a regional board member of his youth group and an intern at Stand-With-Us, an organization dedicated to combating anti-Semitism through education and advocacy. 

Jennifer & Joyce Liu, Ballwin, Missouri

These two sisters share a passion for lacrosse and cite teamwork, perseverance, and determination as a few of the life lessons that they have learned through the game. As players at Marquette High School and on the 410 West Lacrosse club team, Jennifer and Joyce note that lacrosse has helped them to grow as individuals, both on and off the field, and has allowed them to meet people from all walks of life.

To fulfill their desire to give back to their community, last summer Jennifer and Joyce started a non-profit organization called QuaranTeen Pals (@quaranteenpals) with the mission of reaching out to seniors in the community who have been isolated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To help combat loneliness and provide some comfort, QuaranTeen Pals seeks to foster cross-generational relationships between teenagers and senior citizens through the exchange of personal letters. 

The Liu sisters initially partnered with several senior living homes in the St. Louis area to implement their pen pal initiative, and have also expanded their outreach with letters to children in local hospitals. To date, QuaranTeen Pals has over 225 teen members from all over the world, and has sent over 400 letters.

On the field, the Jennifer and Joyce hope to spread their love of the game and inspire other Asian-Americans to play, potentially starting a summer camp to introduce lacrosse to children who have never heard of the sport. They look forward to returning to their high school and club teams in the near future, and to eventually playing lacrosse in college.