Growing up as a Black girl in Durham county set me up for all the success I have had today. Durham is a cultural melting pot where diversity is embraced. At Forest View Elementary, I was lucky to meet some of my longest best friends, including Marie Cox-McMahon, whom I currently attend UNC with. We were exposed to a plethora of new experiences, including art shows, sporting events, and the multicultural dining option that Durham has to offer. It allowed me to see the world in a new way and generated my thirst to travel the world to engage in many of the same activities that I did in my hometown.

Luckily, my passion for soccer has taken me to 22 countries while I have represented various U.S. Youth and Women’s National Teams. I have built meaningful relationships with people from all over the world, tried new foods, and learned about local cultures along the way. My family shares the same desire to travel, with our favorite trip to Jordan and Israel in 2016. We visited Petra and the Holy City and learned about all the religious history in the area. 

I come from a family that values spending time with each other, building our faith, pursuing education, and playing sports. At UNC, I am fortunate to be a legacy of my two parents. My dad, Hassan, played soccer and my mom, Meleata, played softball at Carolina in the early 90s. By the grace of God, I fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing for Anson Dorrance in the UNC Women’s Soccer program. It has been the best 3 years I could’ve imagined. My brothers forged their own paths, which I have great admiration for. My older brother, Hass, went to Elon as an undergrad and was a part of the Elon soccer team. Since he had a fifth year of eligibility, he chose to pursue an MMS degree at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, where he also played his final year of college soccer. My mom also got her MBA from Fuqua in 2011. Malik, my younger brother, is a freshman student-athlete at Princeton. Although COVID canceled his team’s season, he has recently moved to FC Cincinnati’s Academy to play soccer and take classes remotely. No matter where we are in the world, my family is devoted to supporting each other.

Video Conversation with fellow UNC athletes on being black.

Brianna Pinto. 12 minutes, please watch to understand the depth of feeling, insight and strategy Brianna shows for the challenge.

“Tar Heel Talk Episode 1: Being Black.”

At Carolina, I am currently majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Spanish. It has opened many opportunities for me and has inspired my dream of working for FIFA after my professional soccer career. Although I am only a junior, I declared for the 2021 NWSL Draft and was selected #3 overall by Sky Blue FC. At the conclusion of the NCAA spring season, I will be starting my professional soccer career in New Jersey. Without the continuous support from my community, the unconditional love from my family, and the many blessings from the Lord, I would not be where I am today. I can confidently say that I am living the dream!

“My parents instilled values in me that you have a purpose in this world. Every day it is your responsibility to carry out what you’re in this world to do,” says Pinto as part of a conversation for “Tar Heel Talk Episode 1: Being Black.” “So, in the face of adversity I just put my head down and do what I need to do. At the end of the day, what others say or do to me isn’t going to impact me in the long run because I believe there is a plan for me.”