When Robin Yoshida graduated from St. Anselm College this past spring after four years on the Hawks NCAA Division III team, she already had a plan of what to do with her life after hockey.

A Los Alamos native that played 34 career games with St. Anselm (a Division III school located in New Hampshire), Yoshida was one of two New Mexico natives in the NCAA women’s ranks last season as Kristen Molina of Albuquerque played for D-III Amherst (Mass.) College.

“Playing college hockey, I will always remember the teammates I had, the support system and just how much I grew and learned about myself in those four years,” said Yoshida, who graduated with a BA in sociology. “I’ve learned invaluable skills that will help me forever in life and in any job I’ll have.”

Since May, Yoshida has been at home working, but is leaving for Madagascar in February with the Peace Corps to participate in community health volunteering and helping local healthcare workers.

“I’ll be helping with any programs for things like malaria and HIV/AIDS,” explained Yoshida. “It’ll be a lot of teaching health to kids and helping moms with newborns, things like that. After that, I am planning on grad school.”

Yoshida added that while New Mexico is far from a hockey hot spot, she wants to be an ambassador for the future generation that is looking at playing college hockey.

“Any advice I would have for girls that want to play hockey is that there are so many opportunities all over the country and it’s not just about picking the best team, it’s about finding a school that’s right for you,” said Yoshida. “Keeping an open mind, going to recruiting camps, networking with people and doing your research all help if you really want to play. Coaches want hard workers and team players with good attitudes. There are more and more girls playing in college and it’s getting more competitive, but there are so many schools that need players that get overlooked or that we have never heard of in New Mexico.”

Photo/Jim Stankiewicz

— Matt Mackinder