Written by Sarah Bergstrom, USC blog contributor
Not only does USC boast world-class athletes, but world-class student-athletes as well. Each month, we will profile one of these outstanding Trojans who has chosen to pursue coursework in either the science, technology, engineering or math field (STEM).
Name: Moriah Earley
Sport: Women's Soccer
Year: Junior
Major: Human Biology
Sarah Bergstrom (SB): How did you end up deciding to come to USC?
Moriah Earley (ME): My club coach knew our old soccer coach personally and he had him come to one of our practices. He saw me and asked me to come to a couple of camps. My mom works for USC's health sciences campus so I already had some money with that. He told me I had a spot on the team and so I walked on.
SB: What does your mom do at the health sciences campus?
ME: She's actually a physician's assistant [laughs] so it kind of runs in the family.
SB: Did you know what you wanted to do academic-wise before you got here?
ME: I knew I was very interested in biology. I think in high school that was one of the only things that I had a good time doing. I was good at other things, but bio was the only subject I actually liked.
SB: What was the adjustment like in terms of academics on the college level? I assume you were a stellar student in high school but was there any change when you got here?
ME: In college I feel like you have to actually study. I remember in high school I would do my homework in other classes or even in the class a day early. I went to public school and so it really wasn't mentally stimulating, even my AP and honors classes. It was a lot less to do and I didn't have to manage my time as well because I didn't have to do as much. With athletics, you're tired and you have to do things but then you also have to go study. It's definitely different.
SB: Did your coaches and other people in the soccer program kind of introduce you to all the resources you have here for academics or did you have to figure it out on your own?
ME: They told me [laughs] but I don't think I needed them my freshman year as much as I did when I really started getting into my actual major courses. I was definitely was told about them but I didn't take it to heart as much when I was taking GEs. As I got into things I realized, okay we have people who can help me with this stuff.
SB: I would definitely consider human biology to be one of the harder majors here. I can only imagine how much work that must be. Do you have teammates who have similar majors that you're able to rely on and who can sympathize with you?
ME: A lot of us are in human bio. I think now on the team there are four or five of us. It's a solid number to where we can talk to each other like, "Do you understand what he's saying? Because I don't. Okay, come help me." We have each other to help us. We'll be on travel trips and we'll be studying before exams. It's definitely better than if I was doing this by myself.
Not only does USC boast world-class athletes, but world-class student-athletes as well. Each month, we will profile one of these outstanding Trojans who has chosen to pursue coursework in either the science, technology, engineering or math field (STEM).
Name: Moriah EarleySport: Women's Soccer
Year: Junior
Major: Human Biology
Sarah Bergstrom (SB): How did you end up deciding to come to USC?
Moriah Earley (ME): My club coach knew our old soccer coach personally and he had him come to one of our practices. He saw me and asked me to come to a couple of camps. My mom works for USC's health sciences campus so I already had some money with that. He told me I had a spot on the team and so I walked on.
SB: What does your mom do at the health sciences campus?
ME: She's actually a physician's assistant [laughs] so it kind of runs in the family.
SB: Did you know what you wanted to do academic-wise before you got here?
ME: I knew I was very interested in biology. I think in high school that was one of the only things that I had a good time doing. I was good at other things, but bio was the only subject I actually liked.
SB: What was the adjustment like in terms of academics on the college level? I assume you were a stellar student in high school but was there any change when you got here?
ME: In college I feel like you have to actually study. I remember in high school I would do my homework in other classes or even in the class a day early. I went to public school and so it really wasn't mentally stimulating, even my AP and honors classes. It was a lot less to do and I didn't have to manage my time as well because I didn't have to do as much. With athletics, you're tired and you have to do things but then you also have to go study. It's definitely different.
SB: Did your coaches and other people in the soccer program kind of introduce you to all the resources you have here for academics or did you have to figure it out on your own?
ME: They told me [laughs] but I don't think I needed them my freshman year as much as I did when I really started getting into my actual major courses. I was definitely was told about them but I didn't take it to heart as much when I was taking GEs. As I got into things I realized, okay we have people who can help me with this stuff.
SB: I would definitely consider human biology to be one of the harder majors here. I can only imagine how much work that must be. Do you have teammates who have similar majors that you're able to rely on and who can sympathize with you?
ME: A lot of us are in human bio. I think now on the team there are four or five of us. It's a solid number to where we can talk to each other like, "Do you understand what he's saying? Because I don't. Okay, come help me." We have each other to help us. We'll be on travel trips and we'll be studying before exams. It's definitely better than if I was doing this by myself.
SB: Do you know if you want to go to med school? Or what is the track you're sort of following?
ME: My first two years I didn't want to go to med school. Eight years more of school is just not something that I'm looking forward to. As I get older, I feel like I should give myself the opportunity to go to med school if I want to go to med school. I still don't really feel like I want to go [laughs] but there are more things that I would want to do in med school now than there were when I first started here.
SB: What are some of those things that you might be interested in?
ME: I'm really interested in kinetics and body movement and that kind of stuff. But then I'm in a muscle physiology class right now and it doesn't really interest me as much as I thought it would. I really like experimenting with macro body kinetics. I also like babies, I like people, so I don't really know exactly what would be the best for me. But I know that I don't like research biology, I think it's really tedious.
SB: One of the things I like to ask people is how you see what you study in school overlap with your sport. Do you see that with soccer and biology?
ME: I think it's definitely interesting when you watch people run and see who is faster and who is not, or who can cut faster than others, or who has longer strides. Some of my teammates are really good at cutting and their steps are normally shorter than my teammates who are faster and who can cover more ground quickly. It's very interesting. When we do strength training and she says we need to strengthen certain muscles we're all like, "Oh I understand that!" It's definitely applicable.
SB: I know you've been involved in the Girls PLAY program here and done some community service. Is that something that's been really important to you being a college athlete?
ME: Yeah definitely. I have three little sisters so being a female athlete at the collegiate level is a new experience for my entire family. Seeing my sisters grow up, and they're playing soccer and they look at me and say, "Oh I want to be like you," sometimes I forget that when I was growing up this was my dream. This is it. I'm here. I did it. It's really cool to go back, be with them and remember where I was at that point in my life.
SB: Transitioning to soccer, how have you seen yourself grow from freshman year?
ME: When I came in I was a forward. Now I play outside back. I just remember the transition was one of the most traumatic things of my life. As a forward I didn't have to focus a lot on anything on the field. When the ball was near me, I focused and did my job but when the ball was on the other side, unless I was planning on getting it, I didn't really have to pay attention. Now as an outside back I have to direct people, my forward, my centerback, my keeper, everyone. It's so much more mental work. In high school it was like all my mental capacity went to school and soccer was just my thing outside of that. It was such a different experience in college. I think this year is one of the first years that I really feel like I am a defender.
SB: What about the team as a whole? What do you think of where you all have come in such a short time?
ME: We worked really hard over the end of the season to now. Almost all of us passed our fitness tests with a raised level and I think the focus of our team this year is something incredible that I haven't seen. I remember the last couple years there weren't a lot of people at summer workouts. This year, the majority of the team was here the majority of the time. We are ready to do what we want to do - win national championships and win games and score goals and be USC soccer. I really feel like this year we've come together. This is the best team that I've been on since I've been here in terms of team camaraderie to skills, it's overall the best.
SB: I personally love your team's slogan/motto, whatever you want to call it - One Moment, One Now. What does that mean to you?
ME: You can't just say "Oh next year..." or "Oh next play", it's now. Whatever you do now, affects what comes next. The steps you take today are the steps that allow you to do more later. You have to take what you have for what it's worth and not rely on things in the future or for someone else to do something.
SB: Has that mixed in to your life at all? Do you feel like you've had a chance to take advantage of all the fun things that come with going here and living in LA?
ME: I feel like I have. A lot of my athlete friends at other schools talk about how they don't really talk to anyone outside of school or how their team is not super close. I feel like outside of soccer I have people that I talk to on a regular basis and events I go to that aren't related to athletics. I feel like I can walk around and be known for more than just being an athlete.
SB: Are there any things still on your college bucket list? Things you really want to do either in the city or at USC?
ME: I just want to see LA. I've lived here my entire life and the amount of things that are in LA that I haven't seen is almost ridiculous. Me and a couple teammates will pick a day and just go do things, take pictures and just go. The other week we went to Joshua Tree after a Sunday game. We picked up some friends, it was a three-hour drive but it was great. We go to the beach, we go hiking, we go to random places. It's fun to see things you haven't seen before.
ME: My first two years I didn't want to go to med school. Eight years more of school is just not something that I'm looking forward to. As I get older, I feel like I should give myself the opportunity to go to med school if I want to go to med school. I still don't really feel like I want to go [laughs] but there are more things that I would want to do in med school now than there were when I first started here.
SB: What are some of those things that you might be interested in?
ME: I'm really interested in kinetics and body movement and that kind of stuff. But then I'm in a muscle physiology class right now and it doesn't really interest me as much as I thought it would. I really like experimenting with macro body kinetics. I also like babies, I like people, so I don't really know exactly what would be the best for me. But I know that I don't like research biology, I think it's really tedious.
SB: One of the things I like to ask people is how you see what you study in school overlap with your sport. Do you see that with soccer and biology?
ME: I think it's definitely interesting when you watch people run and see who is faster and who is not, or who can cut faster than others, or who has longer strides. Some of my teammates are really good at cutting and their steps are normally shorter than my teammates who are faster and who can cover more ground quickly. It's very interesting. When we do strength training and she says we need to strengthen certain muscles we're all like, "Oh I understand that!" It's definitely applicable.
SB: I know you've been involved in the Girls PLAY program here and done some community service. Is that something that's been really important to you being a college athlete?
ME: Yeah definitely. I have three little sisters so being a female athlete at the collegiate level is a new experience for my entire family. Seeing my sisters grow up, and they're playing soccer and they look at me and say, "Oh I want to be like you," sometimes I forget that when I was growing up this was my dream. This is it. I'm here. I did it. It's really cool to go back, be with them and remember where I was at that point in my life.
SB: Transitioning to soccer, how have you seen yourself grow from freshman year?
ME: When I came in I was a forward. Now I play outside back. I just remember the transition was one of the most traumatic things of my life. As a forward I didn't have to focus a lot on anything on the field. When the ball was near me, I focused and did my job but when the ball was on the other side, unless I was planning on getting it, I didn't really have to pay attention. Now as an outside back I have to direct people, my forward, my centerback, my keeper, everyone. It's so much more mental work. In high school it was like all my mental capacity went to school and soccer was just my thing outside of that. It was such a different experience in college. I think this year is one of the first years that I really feel like I am a defender.
SB: What about the team as a whole? What do you think of where you all have come in such a short time?
ME: We worked really hard over the end of the season to now. Almost all of us passed our fitness tests with a raised level and I think the focus of our team this year is something incredible that I haven't seen. I remember the last couple years there weren't a lot of people at summer workouts. This year, the majority of the team was here the majority of the time. We are ready to do what we want to do - win national championships and win games and score goals and be USC soccer. I really feel like this year we've come together. This is the best team that I've been on since I've been here in terms of team camaraderie to skills, it's overall the best.
SB: I personally love your team's slogan/motto, whatever you want to call it - One Moment, One Now. What does that mean to you?
ME: You can't just say "Oh next year..." or "Oh next play", it's now. Whatever you do now, affects what comes next. The steps you take today are the steps that allow you to do more later. You have to take what you have for what it's worth and not rely on things in the future or for someone else to do something.
SB: Has that mixed in to your life at all? Do you feel like you've had a chance to take advantage of all the fun things that come with going here and living in LA?
ME: I feel like I have. A lot of my athlete friends at other schools talk about how they don't really talk to anyone outside of school or how their team is not super close. I feel like outside of soccer I have people that I talk to on a regular basis and events I go to that aren't related to athletics. I feel like I can walk around and be known for more than just being an athlete.
SB: Are there any things still on your college bucket list? Things you really want to do either in the city or at USC?
ME: I just want to see LA. I've lived here my entire life and the amount of things that are in LA that I haven't seen is almost ridiculous. Me and a couple teammates will pick a day and just go do things, take pictures and just go. The other week we went to Joshua Tree after a Sunday game. We picked up some friends, it was a three-hour drive but it was great. We go to the beach, we go hiking, we go to random places. It's fun to see things you haven't seen before.
