From the time I was a little girl, soccer was my life. I trained every day, lived and breathed it. I made it to the college level in the US where I played for 4 years. At the end of it all – I graduated.
More than an academic graduation, it was symbolic of a new life phase where I had to find new hobbies to keep myself busy and active, and a new focus for my hard work and ambition. I found myself in a new type of “team” – a corporate one, with an energy and closeness that paled in comparison to my concept of a team from sports.
I came to terms with the fact that I had played in my last “real” game.
Years later when I decided to do an MBA, the opportunity to get to play soccer for Cambridge – with a team, for something that matters – was an opportunity unmatched by other business schools.
I’m loving training again, obsessing about our league standings, debriefing games, and talking tactics with my teammates – but by far the best part of playing for the Cambridge women’s team is that it has given me the chance to make a new group of friends outside of the MBA – including undergrads, other master’s students, and PhDs, studying in fields as diverse as education, psychology, and chemistry.
Alongside the intensity of the MBA programme, playing soccer for Cambridge has given me the balance to stay healthy and thrive during my short time here.
Bethany Kanten has been awarded the Beyond Profit/Social Impact scholarship for Cambridge MBA Class of 2019
Cambridge University Association Football Club & social pages for the Women’s team