Baker Proud Summer 2019 - 17

BAKER PROUD | Summer 2019

Maria Echeverry grew up in Colombia, where, if she wanted to play soccer, she had to play with the boys.
"The little town that I grew up in still had that thought that soccer was just for men," she said. "I was so lucky that
my parents supported me. They didn't care that I was playing with guys as long as I was doing something I loved."
She credits that experience to her skill at the game. Her family moved to Cali in her native country, and when
Maria was 14 she got to play on the Colombian national team.
School and Skills
Some of Maria's former teammates play on professional teams today.
In Colombia, athletes have to choose between getting an education
and playing a sport at that level. So when Maria heard there were opportunities to do both in the United States, she joined a soccer club
with connections at American universities. "They gave me, like, five
options," she said. "I went to the Baker website, and I saw the whole
academic program, the soccer team, everything. I knew Baker was the
best university for me."
All About Team
Maria, a forward, played four seasons at Baker. During those
years, the Wildcats competed in three NAIA National
Championship Tournaments. During her last season, she
played in all 17 games. "All of it was an amazing
experience," she said.
Designing a Future
Maria came to Baker to study interior design,
but she found that her passion was elsewhere.
"My advisor told me that I should take graphic
design classes because it's similar to interior
design. I really like technology, too, so I
picked it up quick and realized that
I loved it." Maria also taken advantage
of work study opportunities to design
for organizations on campus. She
doesn't believe she would have
found this passion if she had
not come to Baker University.
"It came down to the options I
had in that moment," she said.
At Baker University, Maria
achieved her dream of
getting an education while
playing a sport that she loves.
Next, she looks forward to
pursuing her new dream: a
career in graphic design.

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Baker Proud Summer 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baker Proud Summer 2019