Mimi Akaogi said that when she first stepped onto a soccer field for the Pink Pandas, she had no clue what she was doing. She had no idea that that would be the first small step in pursuing a dream. Now she is a sophomore, playing as a 49er, and she hopes her journey leads her to a professional soccer team.
“She’s one of the fastest defenders in the conference,” head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. “Her technical ability [on the field] sets her apart.”
Her teammates said she is a motivating teammate, and they emphasized her bright, genuine personality.
“She makes me want to be better,” goalkeeper Ashton McKeown said. “She’s consistent and solid on and off the field.”
Akaogi said she learned to be positive from her mother and from her family.
“My mom always told me to keep an open mind and positive attitude even in tough times,” Akaogi said. “We like people and are always reaching out to others as a family.”
Her parents came to the United States from Japan in 1992. It was a difficult cultural adjustment for them at first, as picking up the idiosyncrasies of English proved challenging, Akaogi said. Her parents eventually started making friends in their new environment by taking Akaogi’s older sister and two older brothers to school.
Mimi was born in Cupertino, California, and she said she remembers always having friendly neighbors who would invite her family over for American cultural events and holidays like Thanksgiving. She said their hospitality made her family’s move from Japan a smoother transition.
“Neighbors would invite us over, and we got to eat turkey and share in American cultural traditions with others,” Akaogi said.
Akaogi started playing soccer in the American Youth Soccer Organization as a kid. She played seven years of club soccer for the Mountain View Los Altos Lightning and for Monta Vista High School, where she lettered in soccer all four years. Akaogi was named the 2012-13 Senior of the Year for the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.
When Akaogi came to LBSU, she was already running full speed ahead. As a freshman, she was named to the Big West All-Freshman Team, started every game, and logged over 1,600 minutes of play.
“Mimi is someone who truly enjoys the game and puts in all the extra hours necessary to succeed,” Ingrassia said. “She is a great teammate respected by everyone in our program.”
On the soccer field, Akaogi shares her competitive discipline and motivating nature with her teammates.
Akaogi remembers the significance of Long Beach State’s 4-0 loss to Santa Clara last year as being the extra boost she needed as a college athlete. Since she grew up in Santa Clara County, Akaogi recalls having many family members and friends attend the game.
“It was the first time I really felt that extra boost of energy from the fans,” Akaogi said.
Santa Clara beat Long Beach State, but Akaogi walked away from that game wanting to inspire and motivate her squad even more.
“We make each other want to work harder,” Akaogi said.
Akaogi said bonding with her teammates off the soccer field is important and valuable as well. She likes going to Makai Coffee Shop on Broadway Street in Long Beach with Ashton McKeown, who is also Akaogi’s roommate on the team.
“Sometimes we even go to Color Me Mine and paint our own bowl, just because,” a giggling Akaogi said. “We like doing spontaneous things like that.”
Akaogi is a graphic design major and plans to pursue digital arts when she graduates from Long Beach State. But her biggest ambition is to keep playing soccer.
Her path began with tiny steps in youth soccer : she was a Pink Panda, now she’s a 49er and she dreams of one day playing professional soccer for Japan.