Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 24

Camilla Olsson '12: Thornton's First
International Division I Athlete
Allie Coburn ’14 Emily Richard ’13, Camilla Olsson ’12,
Katelyn Pierson ’13 were teammates during the 2011 season.
By Brittany Brown
W
hen Camilla Olsson '12
decided to come to the
United States from Norway for
her junior year of high school,
she did not expect to land in
Maine. Her first stop in American
education was actually in Arizona.
Quickly realizing she would not
be able to pursue her passion and
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her dreams – playing Division I
soccer – Camilla contacted her
education agency and quickly
transferred to what is now her
second home, Thornton Academy.
In fact, when she was contacted for
this interview, she was celebrating
her birthday with Greg '91 and
Cathy Paradis in their on-campus
apartment. This was her fourth visit
back to campus since graduating.
Going back to her grassroots,
Camilla began playing soccer at
the age of five. Since there was
not a girls' team, she started by
playing with the boys. She fell in
love and was even recruited to play
midfield for the B team of a top
club in Norway before coming to
Thornton.
At Thornton, Camilla competed
with the girls' soccer team under
the direction of Coach Kohl. She
also expanded her athletic talents
taking up lacrosse, track and field,
and gymnastics. Camilla lived
the Stasio Hall with Sam Nguyen
'13 and reflected on her time as
a residential student fondly. She
recalled the supportive atmosphere
and a high level of interest the
Thornton community had in her
experiences and culture. When