Megan Rapinoe is coming to the University of Miami on Oct. 10. Here’s why

Women’s World Cup hero Megan Rapinoe, who on Monday was named FIFA Best Women’s Player, will bring her message of inclusion and equal pay to students at the University of Miami on Oct. 10 as part of the school’s “What Matters to U” series.

The UM student government chose to invite Rapinoe “due to her intersectionality of sports and social issues.”

“When we think about the speakers we invite for ‘What Matters to U,’ we look for more than just star power,” said James Lai, a UM junior and chair of student government’s Student Engagement Planning Agency. “They also have to have substance.”

In addition to being the top scorer and helping lead the U.S. team to the World Cup championship, Rapinoe was a vocal advocate for closing the gender pay gap and ensuring equal rights for members of the LGBTQ community.

After receiving her award Monday, she made an impassioned speech and urged her fellow soccer players to use their fame for the greater good.

“That’s my ask of everybody...as professional footballers we have so much success, we have incredible platforms, I ask everybody here to lend your platform, to lift people up, to use this beautiful game to change the world for better.”

Shirelle Jackson, UM senior associate athletic director for student-athlete development, will serve as the staff moderator and Claudia Delorenzo, a senior majoring in neuroscience, will serve as the student moderator.

“With National Coming Out Day taking place a day after our event, I am eager for Megan to share any advice she has for students who may be struggling with their own identities or are facing adversity from others,” Delorenzo said. “And I think students, particularly female students, students of color, and LGBTQ+ students, will be interested to hear Megan discuss how she has integrated social activism into her career.”

Tickets to the event are available for undergraduate, graduate, medical and law students and can be claimed beginning Oct. 2.