For many students nearing the end of their college careers, schedules are loaded. Class work, internships and, gulp, job searches, can consume time and bring endless stress.
Student-athletes, the majority of which will never play professionally, get to add onto that workload a never-ending docket of practices, games and training regimens.
All of that brings me to this question: How does Liz Harkin do it?
The senior, who just finished a four-year career as one of the greatest defenders the ASU soccer team has had in its history, is now preparing to head to medical school.
In a profile on the ASU Web site, Harkin said a career in medicine “has always been a goal,” and the 3.82 GPA student, a three-time member of the Pac-10 All-Academic team, currently interns at the Mayo Clinic and is studying furiously in preparation for the MCAT in May.
Harkin is also still chasing a dream of playing professional soccer, with a tryout with a Bay Area professional team, the FC Gold Pride, on the horizon.
Earning a spot on the team, though, Harkin told ASU media relations, would only defer medical school plans for a short time.
With all the negative stories about college sports that can filter into the media landscape — yes, I’m looking at you, Oregon football team — feats as amazing as Harkin’s all too often go unnoticed.
