Today's Chanticleer Alumni spotlight showcases
Sara Niles, a member of the Coastal Carolina women's soccer program from 2007-10. Niles, a midfielder from Elgin, Ill., played in 84 contests with 78 starts and was a key part of three Big South regular season championship teams (2007, 2008, and 2010).
Niles was named to the 2007 Big South All-Freshman team after finishing fifth on the team with two assists. In 2010, she scored her only collegiate goal in a 4-2 win over College of Charleston.
Since graduating from physician assistant school in 2014, Niles works for Vituity, a company that staffs hospitals all over the country. She started at Advocate Sherman Hospital in Chicago and still helps out as needed. Amita Mercy Medical Center is her primary site where she is the lead emergency room physician assistant working full time.
For more information on Sara, please continue reading the Q&A below.
Where you living now and what are you doing? I live in Chicago where I am an Emergency Room Physician Assistant
Did you know you always wanted to do what you are doing professionally? Going into college, I thought I wanted to do physical therapy but as I learned more about the medical field, and the PA profession was growing, I quickly changed my mind and couldn't be happier.
How did your time as a student and student-athlete at Coastal Carolina prepare you for your career and life after college? Being a student-athlete requires self-motivation, dedication, commitment, leadership, and all these qualities are things that can translate into the workforce and are what employers find attractive. Student-athletes have a certain drive to always exceed and push themselves to reach goals which in turn produces hard-working, strong, badass women! (can I say that?)
When was the last time you had been to campus? How has the campus changed? I was last on campus in Fall 2019. Basically it has doubled in size, facilities all across the campus are upgraded, and are so beautiful (still think the soccer Stadium could use a facelift wink wink). BUT most importantly it still feels like home!
What originally attracted you to Coastal as a student-athlete? My initial visit on campus won me over. Who doesn't love palm trees, sunshine, and soccer.
What are some of your most memorable moments from your time as a student-athlete at Coastal? Singing "No One" in the locker room at the conference tournament in Charleston. Each and every teammate holds a special place in my heart with a million inside jokes or funny bus memories to accompany that. This was our family and how we got through the good and bad, the 6 a.m. at the track and pre-season three-a-days, and the academic and everyday life challenges!
How often do you keep in touch with your former teammates? We try to plan at minimum two big trips a year where we all fly to some destination for a reunion. With weddings, bachelorette parties, and such popping up we are getting lucky with more opportunities to see each other. We have gotten good at Zoom happy hours during this quarantine and the ongoing group chat is key!
What are some things you enjoy doing in your free time? Orangetheory is my jam! But working out in general is still a big part of my everyday-big stress reliever. Traveling, big or small, as I love going on adventures and visiting family and seeing my nieces and nephews and friends!
What advice would you have for the current student-athletes at Coastal? ENJOY THE MOMENT!!! While you're in the midst of the season or during the offseason it's hard to imagine that it's ever going to end but for the majority of us after 4/5 years that's the end of the road for what has been your life since probably like age 4. Not only the sport, but these people and coaches will change your life and mold you and have such a huge impact on who you are and how you live life going forward. Enjoy them while they're around and learn and grow and become a person that you are proud of! Be present, disconnect from social media-yes I sound old but we did not have Snapchat or Instagram - to share the play-by-play of every moment or re-watch our every day but the best is thinking back to the way you felt in that moment and the people that were there to share it with you. That's what you remember! And always, GO CHANTS!
