By MEGAN MAHARRY, Student Reporter
Cydni Phelps is a senior at Northwestern Oklahoma State University from Clearlake in Houston, Texas. She is a Nursing major. She has been part of the Lady Ranger soccer team at NWOSU for four years.
Phelps comes from a large family. She is 1 of 8 siblings, and she is the 7th oldest. Phelps said growing up in Houston was a lot different from Alva. Phelps said she enjoyed the diversity of the city and all the different kinds of people she could surround herself with. Phelps said the thing she misses most about Houston is her family.
Phelps first began playing soccer when she was 4 years old. She played on a co-ed team, and hated the sport at first. She quit playing for a year before eventually returning to play at the age of 5. She has played consistently on several different teams since. She recently finished her last season with the Lady Ranger soccer team, marking her sixteenth year to play soccer.
Phelps chose to come to NWOSU because the school was somewhat familiar to her. She had 5 other siblings attend NWOSU, and she knew the Nursing program was outstanding. She also knew she wanted to continue playing soccer, and was able to walk-on her freshman year.
Between soccer schedules and keeping up with the demands of her major, Phelps has been busy during her time at NWOSU. She is a Nursing major, and works hard to keep up with the challenges that field brings. Phelps said the Nursing course is vigorous, and she is constantly working or taking tests. She attends a clinical every week. Phelps said there are several different fields within the Nursing program that students can attend a clinical in.
Phelps has taken a special interest in mental health. She became interested in this area after visiting a mental health center at a clinic at the University of Oklahoma.
“I’m interested in how the mind works, and how it relates to diseases people might have,” Phelps said.
A career in mental health is the future path Phelps wants to pursue. She plans to work in the Oklahoma City area, and eventually hopes to work at the University of Oklahoma.
Soccer has played a large role in Phelps’s life. She said soccer has made her a hard worker, and she does not take things for granted. She said soccer has taught her how to be a leader. Phelps said her favorite part of being a part of a soccer team is the lifelong friends she has made.
Phelps said she loves Alva and all the people she has met over the past four years. Phelps also said she loves all the knowledge she has learned during her time at NWOSU.
Phelps’s advice to other college students is never take things for granted, and never give up on yourself.
“Even at your lowest moments, you can always find a fight in yourself,” Phelps said. “There is always a way to persevere.”