05-21-2025
Since middle school, I knew I wanted to be a collegiate athlete. I pursued my dream and spent my undergraduate years playing for a Big Ten school — Purdue! Now graduation approaches, and I have to make a major career decision, a business decision in some ways: do I play soccer professionally, or do I go to law school to continue my studies?
When making my college decision, I chose Purdue because it was close to home but far enough away that I felt independent. During the fall seasons, my family came down every weekend to support me. It was comforting to see them after working hard every day on my coursework and in practice.
I chose integrated business and engineering as my major because I learned both the engineering and business sides of things. This will enable me to bridge the gap that employers often miss within their companies. I think it is essential, given the way our world is evolving with technology, to understand how businesses operate across all disciplines. Learning marketing, accounting, coding, and more will prepare me for my future career.
In the first two years, I took the hardest math and science classes as an IBE student. I managed this along with practices and games through time management. I grew up in sports, knowing I had to finish my work just like everyone else, so the transition into being a collegiate student-athlete was easy for me. I went to workouts, classes, practice and finished my homework before bed.
A typical week for me during our season in the fall, starts with a rest day on Monday. We have a head start on homework and studying. On Tuesdays, we have a 7 a.m. lift in the gym and a hard practice in the afternoon. Wednesday is a pre-game, which is a light practice with mainly jogging to save our strength and energy for the next day. Thursdays are game day, and Fridays are for recovery. Saturdays are another pre-game day, and Sundays are game day. This pattern repeats every week during the fall semester.
Playing for Purdue was a dream come true.
The spring semester is our off-season, so my week looks a lot different. This is the time when we develop our strength and our gameplay. We have 6 a.m. workouts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. During the week, we have hard practices every day. We get the weekends off until scrimmages start on Saturdays in March and April.
Balancing my athletic schedule with my academic schedule is something that came naturally to me. IBE is a rigorous major, so I have to manage my time well in order to keep up with the course material and not fall behind. My teammates and I held each other accountable by holding study tables, helping each other with time management and being there to support each other wholeheartedly.
The hardest part about being a student-athlete was tying all my worth to my performance. I was constantly striving to be perfect on the field and in the classroom. This took a toll on my mental health. I was always chasing perfection and beating myself up when I fell short. The new coaching staff brought in a psychologist, so I was able to talk to someone finally. She taught me how to separate my performance self from my authentic self. I was able to distinguish between myself — a sister, a daughter, a teammate, etc. — and who I was as a performer. By differentiating the two, I became more confident in myself.
I was doing better in soccer, in my classes, and in my personal life. My love for the game sparked anew, and I became passionate about it once more.
I’ve pushed myself so hard that I didn’t want to give up on soccer yet. I wanted to see how far I could go. Law school will always be there, but I will never be in my twenties or at my prime again. This helped me make up my mind to pursue a professional soccer career.
Pursuing my professional dreams is the start of my career path rather than a pause to anything. Playing professional soccer, potentially overseas, is going to be an experience that will prepare me for whatever comes after. The business world and the athletics world are more alike than I think some people realize. It requires a level of dedication and drive that I believe will carry over seamlessly into a corporate role.
The first thing I did was tell my coach. He was elated and allowed me to continue practicing with the team after my final season. He is one of my biggest supporters and always pushes me to do better. He’s helped me pick an agent to represent me; I signed with Boris Rendambo, who is based in France.
The soccer leagues in Europe are the best and are competitive. I’ve always wanted to experience different cultures and travel the world, so what better way than also playing a sport I’m passionate about?
My agent sent my films to coaches in Europe. Since it’s hard to try out in person, they evaluate me using my tapes. I hope to receive an offer this summer and start my next adventure.
Pursuing collegiate soccer was the best decision I’ve made. The best part of my time at Purdue was spent with my teammates. We pushed each other, studied together, had fun together, and became a family. I am going to miss these girls and my home at Purdue, but I am excited to start this next chapter of my life.
Abigail Roy is a senior studying integrated business and engineering with a concentration in law. She has been a part of Purdue’s soccer team since her freshman year and is aspiring to play professionally after graduation. She is a member of the Larsen Leaders Academy. She was a student volunteer for Best Buddies International.
