Alivia Uribe, better known as “Ava” by friends and family, has an unwavering commitment to goals. Never one to rest on her laurels, Uribe goes above and beyond to achieve.
This year Uribe steps onto the colligate soccer scene as a member of the Penn State women’s soccer team. While Uribe may be a new addition to the roster, she is no stranger to the team. Uribe arrived on campus a semester early in December 2021. Uribe elected to graduate high school earlier than her peers to help her transition into college. Adapting to college life isn’t easy for most, but Uribe’s unorthodox choices will certainly ease her troubles.
“The jump between club soccer, even at the top level, and the fast-paced and physical nature of college soccer is large,” Uribe said. “The pre-season is a short amount of time to quickly adjust to the new level of playing while trying to earn minutes and adjust to the academic and social aspects of college.”
Uribe is no stranger to athletic and academic related rigor. As a recent graduate of Eastside Catholic high school and Eastside F.C., Uribe is used to prioritizing school and soccer. If anything, her transition has given her more freedom to explore her other interests.
“In high school, I was very busy trying to train, focus on my school work, participate in extracurriculars, spend time with friends and family, and even get recruited to play in college! However, since coming to Penn State I have had a ton more freedom to put time into things that make me happy,” Uribe said.
Above all else, Uribe understands the value of hard work. Attributing much of her athletic success to working in silence and letting her game speak for itself. During her time at Eastside F.C. Uribe learned to nurture “what makes [her] special.”
“Now, these key strengths that I have cultivated over my time at Eastside help me to stand out and make a positive impact every time I step out on the field,” Uribe said.
Her athletic resume is littered with excellence. National teams, regional camps, and EDP experiences only begin to tell her story. Uribe has always been committed to honing her craft, but she is no stranger to failure. While it may be easy to sit back and assume her success is rooted in natural talent, that theory is half-baked at best. What sets Uribe apart from her competition is her intimate understanding of failure.
“The situations that frustrate us and make us uncomfortable are also the ones that help us reach our fullest potential and grow both as people and players. I’ve been cut from teams, I’ve lost my starting position, I’ve missed wide open goals; through it all, I take my failures back to the fields and work,” Uribe said.
While her journey is far from over, Uribe can appreciate all the memories she’s made thus far. Uribe is grateful for her mentors and teammates along the way that brought her joy. During her final hurrah in club soccer, during the spring season of 2021, Uribe celebrated and mourned the ending of their national championship run.
“Coach Tom Bialek always reminded us to stay together which carried us through the end of the season at nationals,” Uribe said. “we accomplished more in the first year as a team than most teams will ever experience and I will be forever grateful for the challenges and progress we made.”
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