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Jaguar goalie looks to graduate early, join medical field

Keeping goals is as important on the field as it is in the classroom for one University of Houston-Victoria sophomore.

Samantha Wooster

Samantha Wooster started her first season last fall with the Jaguars soccer team as goalie, but her passion for the sport started much earlier.

As a member of the National Honor Society at Pflugerville Hendrickson High School, she helped her soccer team make it to the regional finals. Before attending UHV, she played for the Georgetown Force 95 girls’ soccer club. She also has been a member of the Austin Texans 93 and Revolution 95 teams.

Wooster set a Jaguar record on Sept. 28 with 11 saves in a game against Our Lady of the Lake. For the season, she recorded 51 saves.

Wooster, 18, revels in balancing team responsibilities and academics.

She plans to graduate in three years with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in mathematics before going on to graduate school. Her career ambition is to be a genetics counselor.

“I want to be able to combine my talent and passion for working with autistic children,” she said.

Wooster attributes this passion to her childhood spent in Pflugerville. As a teen, she often babysat children who were diagnosed with autism. She wants to continue helping individuals and families cope with genetic disorders.

“I could help people on a one-on-one situation while still having a medical degree,” she said.

It’s not an easy goal, but it’s one she said is worth the effort. With a full load of classes and soccer practice sometimes twice a day, she uses Blackboard to keep herself organized.

“It’s a lot of time management and staying on track,” Wooster said. “As long as I keep up with everything, I don’t have any problems being able to manage everything on my plate.”

In her free time, Wooster is involved with her church, Faith Family. She plans to stay in Texas after graduating.

“I really enjoy being here,” Wooster said. “It’s the right track for me academically and athletically.”

I am a Jaguar is an online feature highlighting the exceptional students who attend the University of Houston-Victoria. To nominate a student, contact Paula Cobler , UHV interim director of marketing and communications, or call 361-570-4350.                                                                                           

The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.