Fall 2008

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Soccer Scholar's "Gooooooooal" is Career in Medicine

Julie Chen, a sophomore in microbiology, is a midfielder on the ISU women's soccer team and a high achiever in the classroom.

Keeping up with Julie Chen is a challenge, both on and off the field.

Chen, a sophomore in microbiology, is a member of the ISU women's soccer team. She has a full schedule from August through October trying to fit soccer practice, games, travel, class and time to study into her daily schedule.

"I think I'm more disciplined during soccer season," Chen says. "It's very structured so you have to get things done."

Her performance indicates that she gets things done. She came to Iowa State from Appleton, Wis., on a soccer scholarship and received George Washington Carver Scholarship, which provides tuition on a first-come basis to 100 minority students with a 3.5 grade point average and an ACT score of 24 or more.

As a midfielder, her job is to link the defense and the offense through ball control and passing. That same control helps her juggle her academic and athletic life successfully, which was evident when she made the dean's list during her freshman year.

"Missing so much class requires making it up on your own time. Fortunately, there are the long bus rides to get it done," Chen says. "It also gives you an excuse to get to know your professors. Most of them are more than accommodating and some even come out to watch our games."

Nancy Boury, the undergraduate microbiology adviser, says Chen is very disciplined. Chen is the first student-athlete That Boury advised in her 10 years as an adviser in microbiology, which is administered by both the animal science and plant pathology departments.

"I don't know how she does it. We have students who are in the performing arts, but I think the athletic schedule takes time," Boury says.

Chen became interested in biology in high school and wanted to focus on a major that could take her into the medical field. She's majoring in microbiology because as an athlete, and she wants to learn more about the human body.

"You study how things work in the body and how different diseases and viruses affect the body," Chen says. "This summer I'm hoping to get an internship that will give me more experience in research."

Chen's older brother, Peter, graduated from Iowa State in 2004 in chemical engineering. She knew this was the place for her after her family visited campus with him. She also attended soccer camps on campus and as a high school junior played in an Iowa showcase soccer tournament, where she was recruited to play for Iowa State.

College soccer is more competitive than high school, Chen says, and it's important to stay in shape during the off-season. So she runs daily and lifts weights to build muscle and increase speed.

"We train nine months to play three months," Chen says. "The team is like a family. Everyone on the team is your friend right away and that's helped me adapt to college life."

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