When Angelique Rogers De Leon walks into a room, you’d never guess she was once a shy child, tucked away in the corners of her own quietness. Today, she carries herself with a calm confidence — one forged on the football pitch, sharpened on the taekwondo mat, and nurtured through her role in the National Youth Ambassadors Corps (NYAC). For Angelique, sport was never just about trophies or medals. It was about finding her voice — and using it to guide others.
Angelique started taekwondo at just six years old. She stayed with the sport for more than a decade, right up until she was 22. “That was a big part of my life in terms of sports,” she said, reflecting on those years of discipline and dedication. But football, her first love, came a little later. “I always wanted to play football when I was younger. As I got older, I afforded myself that opportunity.”
She threw herself into the game with passion, playing and coaching with Diamond Queens FC and later stepping into coaching roles with Spartans FC. Coaching wasn’t something she had planned but it became one of the most fulfilling paths she’s taken.
Sport, for Angelique, was more than exercise. It was therapy. “I was always a very quiet and shy child. I had a lot of social anxiety,” she shared. “Seeing how sports helped me, I just wanted to do something to help someone else with the same things I was struggling with.”
That instinct to lift others is what eventually drew her into the National Youth Ambassadors Corps (NYAC). At first, she admits, she didn’t really know what the group was about and was hesitant to join when her colleague at the Department of Information Technology and Government Services encouraged her to join. “But then I thought, ‘you know what? I need to join a group; I need to work on myself.’”
She signed up in November 2023, and for the past two years has served as Vice Dean of Public Relations. The Ambassadors gave her opportunities she never imagined — including a life-changing Erasmus trip to Poland for the programme Stand Up, Stop Hate.
“There were groups from Greece, Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria,” she said. “For me, personally, it was one of the best trips of my life. I had never been to Europe before, and hearing the stories of young people from those countries—it was eye-opening.”
Angelique explained that while Anguilla has its challenges, listening to the struggles of others broadened her perspective. “You learn not to discriminate, not to undermine somebody because of how they think or operate. You don’t always have to agree, but you don’t have to make someone feel a particular way either.”
Back home, Angelique sees both sport and the Ambassadors Corps as powerful shields against the temptation of negative influences. “When I was growing up, there wasn’t much to do in Anguilla. Nowadays there are more programmes children can participate in but still, sometimes, when you have a lot of free time, that can lead to doing things that aren’t the best.” She continued, “Sports gives young people something to hold on to. You might end up discovering something about yourself.”
Speaking on the Ambassadors Corps, she said, “It’s a strong group of young people who’ve been through similar experiences, and who want to advocate for the youth. Sometimes I sit and wonder, how did I even get here? Just listening to those guys speak, hearing their ideas — it’s inspiring.”
Angelique will soon be stepping away from the Ambassadors, but the lessons she’s learned will remain. She carries with her a message she wants other young Anguillians to take to heart: Just start. “Majority of the time we wait for conditions to be perfect before we start something. But things don’t have to be perfect. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes — you have to fail to learn. Start small if you have to, but start.”
As a coach and mentor, she hopes her legacy will be measured not in goals scored but in lives inspired. “I’d like someone to say, ‘Coach, you told me this or you encouraged me in that way.’ I want people to feel like they can do it — whatever it is they want to do. Yes, there will be blocks, but I want them to feel uplifted.”
She doesn’t only aim to develop athletes, but also people. “At the end of the day, I hope these are people who can go out into the community and achieve what they want to achieve while being good people.”
For Angelique, that’s the ultimate victory: shaping not just players, but voices — strong, confident, and ready to make a difference.
By Janissa Fleming