Born and raised in Turkey, Deniz Cengiz was exposed to a number of different sports throughout her childhood. She loved and played them all, and credits her time as an athlete for helping develop her mental toughness and leadership skills. Deniz was also heavily involved in volunteer work and as a high school student, she began tutoring orphans. Her passion for underserved populations eventually led to a position with the Turkish Football Federation as a Grassroots Program Development Officer for disadvantaged youth and persons with disabilities. 

In her role, Deniz organized soccer tournaments and leagues for persons with physical and cognitive disabilities, as well as juvenile prisoners, orphans, and at-risk youth. In just five short years, she organized 60 soccer events in 45 Turkish provinces and on average, served more than 60,000 people per year. Despite her unbelievable success, Deniz still believes there is work to be done. “Sport gives people hope,” she says. “It has amazing, life-changing power. Yes, I have reached a lot of people, but there are eight million people with disabilities in Turkey. This is a huge number, so really, my work is just beginning.”