This week’s campus celebrity is Alia Abu-Douleh, a recent winner of the Jeremy Daly Award. This award is given to a member of the University of Illinois Women’s soccer team that demonstrates character and “a commitment to excellence.”
In high school, (before committing to a college), Alia tore her ACL and didn’t know if she would be able to play in college. Now as a junior studying architecture, Alia values authenticity, commitment and open-mindedness. Alia is also involved in the Freshman Athlete Mentor program and is a member of the Gargoyle Honor Society.
What does soccer do for you? I think since I put a lot of pressure on myself in school, it makes me realize that that’s irrelevant. Soccer helps me realize how those things aren’t the most important, and helps me realize that the most important thing is to get better. We aren’t graded in soccer, and that’s how it is in life.
What do you contribute to the team? I’m not really a vocal leader, but more recently I’ve found that people confide in me. If they don’t want to say or ask something in front of the group, they seem to come to me for safety. I think I lead by example, and I think I prioritize things pretty well, I mean in my mind, which hopefully other people see as right.
What are your favorite things to do outside of soccer? My favorite things to do outside of soccer would be baking, building puzzles and do-it-yourself home projects.
What’s your favorite thing about school? My absolute favorite thing about school is the fact that we are given the opportunity to learn something new everyday. It sounds cliche, but I truly believe in this. Sometimes we even learn more about ourselves and about our potential career when we’re not even in class. Particular to my major, one of my favorite things to do is build models. I also love the fact that every week they offer guest lectures to simply expand your knowledge on something that someone else is passionate about.
What’s your favorite place on campus? My favorite place on campus is The Bread Company. Even though it is a restaurant, it is a place where I no longer feel like I am on campus. Every time I have been there I feel like I escape the campus life and enjoy a meal with friends and family that I love.
What’s your favorite place to travel to? My favorite place that I have been to is Jerusalem. I like it there so much because it lets me enter a world that my dad grew up in. Visiting there allows me to see the family that I still have there but also teaches me about my own culture that I am a part of.
What do you want to do after school? After school–undergraduate and graduate–I would like to eventually pursue my license in architecture. In the more near future, however, I would like to work for an architecture firm that values historic preservation. I think that architecture of the past is just as important as modern architecture and I would like to work to bridge a gap between the two. Hopefully, my job will allow me to travel to various historic sites across the country.
Photos Courtesy of Alia Abu-Douleh