LAC LA BICHE - Two Portage College students will be combining healthcare and slide-tackles to start the new school year.
Nursing students Natasha Charley and Karyl Cuesta will be splitting their time between studies and the pitch as members of the Voyageurs women’s soccer team.
Charley, who grew up in the Calgary area, plays midfield and is a second-year student in the college’s Nursing program.
Cuesta, who was born in the Philippines and was raised in British Columbia, is also a midfielder. She’s interested in nurse training as a gateway into other areas of the medical field.
Both women share a passion for the sport and healthcare.
Charley, who grew up in Calgary and Leduc, explained that she is from a family of nurses and doctors. She also admits with a laugh that as a child she was a fan of Doc McStuffins, a children’s television show about a little girl who has a magical stethoscope, along with the ability to bring her toys to life and nurse them.
“I’m also a very compassionate person and I enjoy helping others therefore, becoming a nurse is rewarding in terms of feeling like you have made a difference in someone’s life every day, and in some instances, saving their lives,” Charley told Lakeland This Week.
While she is passionate about helping others, the nursing student is equally enthusiastic about soccer. Explaining that it wasn’t a sport she pursued until junior high school – before then it was dance and swimming – she quickly excelled on the field.
By the time she reached high school, Charley was a member of a top-ranked high school girls’ soccer team and was part of a gold-medal winning provincial U17 team.
Like her teammate, Cuesta also never got involved with the beautiful game until reaching junior high. She grew up playing volleyball, a sport in which her mother played at a high level for 15 years.
Soccer, as she explained, came into the picture when she played it in physical education class in Grade 7, where her teacher, who also happened to be the coach of the girls’ soccer team, convinced her to play at a competitive level.
“I adapted to the sport very quickly and played it whenever possible,” she said.
Cuesta played throughout high school, finishing strong in her senior year, with the team winning tournament titles. She also played community soccer.
In class, both women are planning to use their Portage schooling as a step in the bridging program with the University of Calgary’s Bachelor of Nursing program.
“I hope to further my education and get my Masters in Nursing in hopes to become a nurse practitioner,” said Cuesta . “As of now, my plan is to get my Bachelors in Nursing and figure out the rest as I go along.”
Charley has a similar path lined up, but also said there’s a possibility she may stay with Portage – and the team – while she earns her degree.
For the two students, the option to follow a nursing career comes from a desire to help others.
“What I like about nursing,” said Charley, “is that you can socialize with your clients and build a bond while making a difference in their lives.
Another attribute of Charley’s chosen career has a connection to her love of high-performance sports.
“Another thing I enjoy about nursing is that it’s very unpredictable, therefore the adrenaline is top notch, and you don’t know what to expect every day when you’re going to work, which makes it very exciting and fulfilling.”
Cuesta says studying in the nursing program at Portage College has helped her to learn how to assist others in maintaining better health. Furthermore, she finds the program and the career itself to be a very fulfilling role in the community. She holds a great amount of respect for those already working in the industry.
“I find joy in learning in the nursing program, feel it as a very rewarding career because of the difference it makes in others’ lives,” she said.
Both women are looking forward to the upcoming college soccer season. Both are also expecting some rough and tough battles along with some good team-building with newly acquired head coach Macky Singh.
“It’s not always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes it’s a kick in the shin or blocking a shot with your gut,” Charley said. “Other times it’s having team bonding barbecue at Macky’s house and his cute Chihuahua.”
Home game Sept. 8
The Portage College Voyageurs women’s soccer team has its first game of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference season on Saturday, September 7 in Edmonton playing Concordia. The women are at home in the Bold Center stadium on Sunday, September 8 to face NAIT. That game kicks-off at noon.
The ACAC soccer season will see the women’s squad play 12 regular season games before playoffs at the end of October.
