“They say, ‘Oh, I want to make it to Division I, and I see people like Laila have, and that inspires me.’ Or, ‘I’m the only girl or girl of color on my team, but I see Laila, and that helps me keep going.’ Just adorable, heartwarming things,” Taylor Green, communications director and board member for the non-profit, told the newspaper’s Nancy Armour. “Things that let you know her impact is really being felt, on and off the ice.”
Edwards had a goal and 3 assists during the top-ranked Americans’ charge into the quarterfinals Friday against host Italy. Her 4 points placed her second among defenders.
But well before she impressed at the Milan Cortina Games, she accepted the responsibility of representing.
“I’m becoming a role model for so many people and I’m being that someone that I didn’t necessarily have when I was their age,” she told Essence. “It’s great to see someone that looks like you at that level, but then to see someone succeed at that level is even more important.”