Oxenham to speak on leadership Jan. 15

Author and award winning soccer player Gwendolyn Oxenham will speak on leadership  at 7 p.m. Jan. 15 in Hendrix Theatre, Mendenhall Student Center at East Carolina University.

Oxenham was the NCAA’s youngest Division I student athlete when she was starter and leading goal scorer for the Duke University soccer team at age 16. After graduation, she traveled around the globe seeking one impromptu soccer game at a time. Oxenham documented her pickup soccer experiences in her book, “Finding the Game,” and film, “Pelada.”

Oxenham received an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame, where she was awarded the Nicholas Sparks post-graduate fellowship. She played soccer professionally for Santos FC in Brazil in 2005. She teaches English and plays in pickup games in Southern California.

Her presentation is part of the Leadership Lecture Series at ECU. It is free and open to the public. Call 252-328-6373 or email honorscollege@ecu.edu for additional information.