The first person that came to my mind when thinking of someone who is extremely hard working, passionate, and inspiring to others is Kristiana Apsite.
I had the pleasure of getting to know Kristiana outside of hockey a little more. When I walked into her room at the dorms to see if she was available to answer a few questions, she was hard at work on homework. She was noticed this past semester as having one of the highest GPAs not just for the Girls Hockey Prep team but the whole hockey program as well.
Kristiana took the risk of leaving home in Latvia to try and achieve her goal of playing college hockey in the United States. She thought coming to Gilmour for a post grad year would help her reach this goal. She came to Gilmour to help better herself each day on and off the ice, improve her English, and get the experience of living away from home.
Outside of Gilmour, Kristiana is a goalie for the Latvian national team. She has been a member of the team since the 2015-2016 season. In the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 seasons she received MVP of the IIHF world championship tournament for her division. This year, she received Player of the Game during her time at the NAPHA playoffs.
Kristiana has already made a huge impact on the Girls Hockey Prep team. Day in and day out, she works her hardest. On our days off, you could always find her working out with her partner in crime, Beāte Žagare, who is also a member of the prep team at Gilmour as well as the Latvian National team.
Kristiana started skating when she was just 4 years old. At 10, she decided to become a goalie. She was influenced to try hockey because her mother played. Kristiana plays on the Latvian National team with her mother who is a defenseman on the team.
Kristiana is an inspiration to all through her love of the sport of hockey. She deserves attention because she silently works her heart out each day. She never complains and always does what she is supposed to. She sacrificed a lot to achieve her dreams and hopefully is able to find a college that fits all her needs and more, she deserves it.
