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Women's Soccer

Cougar Scholars: Carmen Acedo

Acedo majors in business administration, hopes to break new ground in women's sports

Cougar Scholars is a monthly series highlighting Chicago State student-athletes through the lens of their studies and professional pursuits. This month features women's soccer captain Carmen Acedo. Read more from our previous scholar-athletes here: She'll freely admit it: Carmen Acedo was "that" kid.

"Since I was little, I always loved school," Acedo said. "I loved learning. I was the weird kid who wanted to go back to school after summer."

That spark has remained with Acedo. Now a women's soccer captain, she's wrapping up her junior year at Chicago State, majoring in business administration with a management concentration. Acedo also maintains a spot in Chicago State's Honors College.

"I strive for excellence in everything I do," Acedo said. "If I'm going to do something, I have to do it right. Maybe being a perfectionist is not that great, because nothing is perfect, but I try to do my best."

Alongside Susana Andres and Katarina Dukic from women's tennis, Acedo earned Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors at the Chicago State's annual Cougar aCATatemy Awards last month.

The business-focused Acedo has set her sights on breaking new ground in women's sports.

"I want to help sports development in Mexico, especially women's sports," Acedo said. "As a player, I lived it and know how much we can struggle to get opportunities to play soccer. I want to change it from the inside."

Acedo was born in Glens Falls, New York but raised in Mexico City, where her family has lived since she was two. Of her seven siblings, she's the only American-born Acedo.
 
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While growing up in Mexico, Acedo got hooked on soccer early, and the sport has evolved into her proposed life's work.

"I want to coach and help other women achieve their goals," Acedo said. "I will be satisfied if I have an impact on someone else's life and career as a player and as a person. And I want to do it from the inside, in management, helping to develop teams, leagues and activities, helping people get involved in women's sports. They need to be lifted up. I want to help other women see a chance to play professionally."

Acedo first hopes to continue her playing career post-college but knows major hurdles remain fixed to the terrain.

"I love soccer, and I want to play professionally," Acedo said. "But in the end, I would get paid like 20 dollars. I would have to have another job. Professional men's soccer players, if they manage their money well, can be well-off after one season. As a woman, I would barely make enough. If I were to get injured, I'd have to find a way to earn money. It's important for women to say, 'Oh, I actually can be a professional soccer player.'"

To zone in on her lofty goals, Acedo strategically gears her myriad class projects towards sports.
 
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"I just did a paper the other day about the use of technology to enhance the fan experience in sports," Acedo said. "I try to learn about management while applying it to sports."

Acedo next hopes to obtain her master's in sports management after finishing her undergraduate degree.

Throughout the Cougar Scholars series, we'll ask each scholar to identify something about their field that outsiders might not know.

"I did research on virtual reality," Acedo said. "You can use virtual reality to create the stadium experience in your house while feeling like there are thousands of people around you, and you get the adrenaline. From the outside, people might think, 'That person is crazy. They're alone and screaming for nothing, but you feel like you're there.' There is a way to create the same environment without spending thousands of dollars traveling and going to a game."
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Players Mentioned

Carmen Acedo

#14 Carmen Acedo

D
5' 9"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Carmen Acedo

#14 Carmen Acedo

5' 9"
Junior
D