By LAURA BORRELLI
Web Editor
Wari Isaac is a motivated and enthusiastic international student athlete at The College of Saint Rose. Isaac is on the Men’s Soccer Team, and is a senior studying business management with a minor in finance.
Isaac has been playing soccer all his life. Soccer is a large part of the culture in Nigeria.
“Soccer is fun and I enjoy playing,” said Isaac. You either play or watch soccer, all of the community takes part and knows about soccer. “It is a part of our lifestyle.”
In Nigeria, Isaac could only focus on soccer, but the United States offered an opportunity to compete competitively while obtaining an amazing educational experience.
MTN, a communications company in Nigeria, had tryouts to give scholarships for athletes to study in America. Out of thousands that competed, only 11 were chosen, and Isaac was one of those individuals.
Isaac went to a private high school in New Hampshire, and played soccer for two years there. He was then recruited by Saint Rose, and came to further his education here.
Coming to America was a big achievement, not only for himself, but for his family. He said leaving home was scary, but he was really excited for this new opportunity, and his family supported him the whole way.
Issac said he loves being apart of the soccer team at Saint Rose.
Coach John Ciano said ge is very happy to have Isaac on his team. He has scored important goals, and can be difficult for opposing defenses.
“Wari is a good player but is more importantly a great person. He is an extremely positive individual, and I will miss his infectious personality,” said Ciano.
Ciano said that Isaac is loved by all, and is a great positive role model for all the younger players on the team.
“Wari is one of the most positive guys I know,” said Ciano. “He is always smiling and is very personable.”
According to Ciano, Isaac is very resourceful and can overcome hardships he is faced with in life. He works hard and is very determined, and these are just a few of his qualities that helped him make States.
“I know that he will be successful in life no matter what and I am excited to see where life takes him after graduation,” said Ciano.
Aside from soccer, Isaac loves Saint Rose.
“I love the business professors, they helped me fall in love with the school,” said Isaac. He was able to connect with them, and they helped him think outside of the box.
Zhengjun Wang, assistant professor of management and Isaac’s advisor, has known Isaac since the fall of 2016. Wang said Isaac has an “excellent work ethic” and is “a great team player.”
“He was diligent and was willing to go above and beyond expectations in terms of projects and assignments,” said Wang. He also said Isaac is goal-oriented and is very good at time management with both his education and soccer.
“Wari is both motivated and enthusiastic about learning new knowledge,” said Wang. “Wari has good time management skills, well-handled any conflict between class and training.”
Isaac contributes a lot to Saint Rose.
“Wari is a valued athlete member of the Men’s soccer team, and has solid academic performance contributing to a good academic standard of Saint Rose,” said Wang.
Victor Goncalves, a member of the Men’s Soccer Team said he appreciates Isaac’s demeanor inside and outside of practice.
“Wari is one of the best teammates, always smiling, super positive. He not only is a good teammate, but an amazing human being,” said Goncalves. “He definitely caused a huge positive impact in the lives of people that he had met at Saint Rose due his charisma and his big smile. He is a person that is impossible to do not like.” Isaac is a leader on the team, and is always positive.
Another teammate, Niv Fogel, a grad student majoring in finance, loves what Isaac brings to the team.
“Wari is the best player on and off the field, always smile and helping the people around,” said Fogel.
Fogel said that Isaac is loves exploring new things and discussing new opportunities. His presence is extremely important for the team. He not only helps score and assist goals on the team, helps his teammates with things out of soccer like internships, homework, exams, time management, etc.
“The team dynamic is great. Everyone brings their own unique characters to create a special atmosphere,” said Fogel. The diversity on the team is extremely important and makes the team very unique.
“The diversity is the greatest thing on my team. We all speak different languages, but soccer is the one language we all know and share,” said Isaac.
Goncalves is also an international student athlete from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and loves the diversity of the team. Everyone brings something different from their cultures, “making the team special.”
Most players on the team are international student athletes and helps create a family setting, because everyone is away from their families.
Isaac has plans to stay in the U.S. and start a company of his own. He wants to create a business that can expand to the global market and eventually reach Nigeria.
Saint Rose and the Albany has access to diverse groups of people and opportunities. “I enjoy it a lot. It is a good starting place for my future,” said Isaac.
