HALEY HALL Staff writer

Marissa Akin is a senior biology major and also a Lady Lion on the women’s soccer team.

She came all the way from Minnesota to Georgia to start a new life with her family when she was ten-years-old. She had to start completely over. It was hard for her to make friends at first because she was the new girl to a school where everyone grew up together, but she joined the soccer team and this is what helped her make friends. She was always into sports and being active, it just came natural to her.

As she transitioned into college, her fitness went to the back burner even though she was on the team. Going into college Marissa saw little time on the soccer field. Everyone knows that the freshman fifteen can haunt you but Akin advanced to the freshman 30.

As her fitness became a priority, the minutes on the field started adding up. She became the team’s most valuable defensive player, playing every single game by her senior year.

“I’m glad all my work paid off, as I realized my fitness could advance me in the game of soccer,” said Akin.

Fitness not only helps her with soccer but it also helps her with all aspects of her life. It helps her with stress, anxiety and problems that she faces. Since soccer has come to a screeching halt she has found an interest in marathon running. She said that her life has changed for the better and that she has so much more energy and happiness in her life since fitness became a major part of her life.

“I saw a dramatic decrease in stress everytime I went on a run which created a healthier lifestyle for me,” she said.