Athletics Asst. AD Indira Evora receives statewide honor

It seems you can come home again, and Somerville High School alum Indira Evora is being recognized for her leadership and dedication to student-athletes with a statewide honor from the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA).

Evora has served as an Assistant Athletic Director at SHS for more than five years and became certified as an Athletic Administrator through the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) last year.  She will be honored with the District 5 recipient for the MSSADA District Outstanding Athletic Assistant Award.

Somerville Athletic Director Stanley Viera said Indira’s professionalism, knowledge and work ethic have earned the respect of colleagues throughout the region.

“Indira is dedicated, motivated, and always has a great disposition,” Viera said. “She is selfless and always thinks of others first. Her most important goal is to always create a rich and fulfilling experience for our student-athletes.”

For Indira, that connection with students is at the heart of her work.

“My favorite part of the job is working closely with our student-athletes,” she said. “I love helping them develop as leaders and watching them grow, not just as athletes, but as people.”

One of the initiatives she is particularly proud of is bringing back the SHS Captain’s Council, which brings student leaders from across athletic teams together to share ideas and develop their leadership skills.

Evora also helps coordinate coaches, teams, schedules and competitions while working to expand opportunities for students to participate in athletics. That work includes supporting programs such as Unified Sports, which brings students with intellectual disabilities together with their peers through competitive athletics.

Her perspective is shaped by her own experience as a Somerville student-athlete. A 2013 graduate of SHS, Indira was a four-year varsity starter in girls basketball and a 1,000-point scorer. She went on to play Division II basketball at Saint Michael’s College and later represented the Cape Verdean National Team in international competition.

“I understand what it’s like to be a student-athlete in our schools, and I think that helps me connect with our kids and understand what they are experiencing,” Indira said. “I try to bring the perspectives of both a coach and a player into my work every day.”

That connection to Somerville runs deep. Indira attended Somerville Public Schools from elementary school through high school, and many of the teachers and mentors who supported her as a student are now her colleagues.

“Somerville means everything to me,” she said. “I’m really proud to be from Somerville, and I’m even prouder to now have the opportunity to give back to the community that helped make me who I am.”

Evora sees the honor not simply as an individual achievement, but as a reflection of the people she works alongside in the SHS Athletics Department.

“This honor really feels like a recognition of our entire athletic department, not just me individually,” she said. “Our entire staff puts in so many long hours to make sure our student-athletes have the best possible educational and athletic experience. I’m really proud to be part of that team.”

Viera echoed that sentiment, describing Indira as an essential part of the department and the broader Somerville community.

“Indira wears many hats at SHS, and she excels at every single one,” he said. “She is an amazing resource and such a massive part of the Somerville community.”