Student Experience: Alyssa Young

Tell us about your journey to Dallas College. What led you here?
“My mentors encouraged me to play soccer in college. I visited four-year schools all over the country at different levels and divisions, and it kind of sounds cliché, but none of them felt like home.”

“As part of the recruiting process, I visited Brookhaven, and it immediately felt like home. Seeing the campus, the resources, the affordability and knowing I could still live at home with my cat, it all just felt right. I wouldn’t change ending up at Dallas College for the world.”

How did you decide that nursing was the right path for you?
“I know people who have received a cancer diagnosis. I want to work in oncology because I feel like I could help those patients and understand what their families are going through since I’ve known people who have experienced that.”

As a student-athlete, you’re balancing school, soccer and work. What has that experience been like?
“It’s definitely hard, but the people in my life are incredibly understanding, especially my soccer coaches at Brookhaven and my stepfather. If I’m struggling with time management or worried about a class, I can go to my coaches and they’ll listen, encourage me and give me feedback. They believe in me more than I believe in myself sometimes.

“My stepdad is always telling me how proud he is. He’ll say, ‘I bragged about you to someone at work today because what you do is so impressive.’ That motivates me to keep going because during soccer season I work 40 hours a week while being a full-time student. Having that support means everything.”

What does soccer mean to you?
“Soccer gives me an identity outside of just continuing my education. When I’m on the field, it helps me forget about the stress of schoolwork and everything else going on in my life.”

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