Keaton and Kaci Parks are two Liberty Redhawks who share a passion for soccer and a love for one another.

Keaton, 17, and Kaci, 16, are the youngest of four children in the Parks family. Their two older brothers, Kyle, 18, and Kris, 25, are both big influences on them. All of the Parks children have been playing soccer since the time they turned 2. Soccer was first introduced to the Parks kids by their parents, and it has become an important part of each of their lives.

“I love to play soccer with my brothers,” Kaci said. “My whole family and I play soccer, so pretty much our whole lives revolve around soccer, because someone always has practice or a game.”

While Kris is a Texas A&M graduate who currently lives in Princeton, Texas, Kyle is currently attending Harvard in Boston, Ma. Keaton graduated from Liberty early on Jan. 16 in order to go to Portugal to play soccer. He will be in Portugal for four months before he returns to the United States to attend SMU on a soccer scholarship for the 2015-2016 school year, where he plans on studying to be an engineer. Although he is only going to be gone for a short amount of time, Keaton said he will still miss his friends and family while he is away.

“When I’m in Portugal, I am going to miss seeing my family every day,” Keaton said. “I am going to miss talking to them every day when I get home from school. I love my family—both of my brothers are hilarious and fun to hang out with, and my sister is my best friend. I can tell her anything.”

Kaci said she is going to miss her older brother when he’s gone in Portugal because of the close relationship they share. Even though she said she thinks that her siblings are strange, she cherishes the special relationship she has with her brother.

“This experience has strengthened my bond with Keaton,” Kaci said. “I realize that he’s leaving sooner for college, and I realize that I’m going to miss him more than anyone else, because we are the closest. He always has my back, and high school just won’t be the same when he’s not here.”

Kaci will graduate from Liberty in 2017. Even though the Parks children are spread across not only the United States but also across the globe, the bonds that they have created with one another over the years will stay strong going into the future.