Senior Midfielder Miranda Konstantinides has racked up over 4500 minutes, 23 points, and 90 shots in her illustrious four-year career with the Monmouth Hawks.
Lost in her incredible soccer career however is the behind the scenes story. Konstantinides has found a way to balance her college life between playing Division I women’s soccer and pursuing her long-term goal of becoming a nurse.
As a key player of four consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Regular Season Championship teams, Monmouth soccer has taught Konstantinides the true essence of hard work and teamwork. “I’ve learned just how hard I can push myself and that you can always give a little more.”
Konstantinides especially touched on the team chemistry her and her teammates developed during her junior and senior year seasons. Monmouth Soccer also taught Konstantinides the importance of leadership skills and communication that will be especially important in the nursing career she plans on pursuing in the near future. “There is something to be said about working as a team even in a daily working environment post-graduation.”
Four years of studying nursing has come with countless experiences and lessons to help shape the person Konstantinides is today and hopes to be in the future as well.
Konstantinides will be graduating with the inaugural Bachelors of Science in nursing (BSN) class where she and her cohort will become the first students to graduate from this undergraduate program.
Among these moments that have meant the world to Konstantinides is the opportunity she was given during her sophomore year to go on a medical mission trip to Haiti with the Foundation for Peace. “I spent my winter break in Haiti with a team that saw close to 2,000 patients,” she said.
Konstantinides also served as the president of the student nursing association for all four years which is an opportunity she is extremely grateful for. Konstantinides touched on the purpose of this association saying, “The Monmouth University Professional Nurses’ Association has both graduate level and undergraduate level students who seek opportunities to give back to the community while forming a network of driven students at different levels in both education and career.”
Leadership roles are something Konstantinides has valued throughout her whole life and career on and off the field. Back in her high school days, Konstantinides served as a four-year varsity letter winner and two-time captain at Eastern Regional High School.
She continued these leadership roles at Monmouth where she became extremely involved with the Monmouth Student Athlete Advisory Committee (MSAAC). This committee serves as a student government for athletes.
She notes, “I have served as MSAAC President my junior and senior years and this has allowed me to visit various MAAC Conference meetings as well as events through the Women Sports Foundation where I have been able to further develop leadership skills.”
As a fully-engaged, committed, and involved student athlete, Konstantinides has been forced to adopt significant time management skills as well. She said, “Nursing, coupled with soccer helped me groom my time management skills to be better than ever before, which is also something that will be crucial for me to be a successful nurse someday.”
These skills have prepared Konstantinides and given her the necessary tools to hopefully pass her state board exam and eventually excel in her career as a BSN.
Konstantinides recognized that there have definitely been some difficulties balancing soccer and nursing along the way. Her clinical rotations that were required for her major sometimes caused her to miss practice with the team. However, Konstantinides said, “I wouldn’t change a thing about it, because it has been preparing me for my life and career ahead.”
Monmouth nursing has taught Konstantinides that not everything comes easy, “The program has taught me the value of both patience and persistence. I have learned more problem-solving skills than I can list.”
As it stands now, Konstantinides hopes to pass her state boards and get a job in a hospital after college. She strives to eventually get a leadership position in a nursing unit. “Later in life, I want to help orient new nurses and help them through the transition of graduating to working on a real floor.”
Her message to any Division I athlete who hopes to pursue a career in nursing is to “Go for it! The hard work of balancing both nursing and a D1 sport only prepares you for what is ahead!”
PHOTO COURTESY of Monmouth Athletics
PHOTO COURTESY of Miranda Konstantinides
