Hi everyone, my name is Niall Masterson. I will
begin by giving you all some insight to my past and how life has taken me to
Rogers State. So anyone that has met me will know that I sound a little bit
strange, this is because I hail from the green fields of Ireland. I was born
into a loving family being the youngest of three siblings. I grew up in
Ballyboughal which is a small rural village in north Dublin. As you can imagine
there is not a whole lot to do in a small village in Ireland but my friends and
I always done a good job of keeping ourselves occupied. Spending all our time
outside it was usually playing soccer that filled our days. At that time I
played for fun, little did I know later in life it would take me to where I am
now.
After high school I had made the decision that I
wanted to travel to the US and continue my education as well as play soccer for
a university. So I began my pursuit in a small college in Dublin. I took part
in a one year soccer course which was designed to get young student athletes
across the pond to America. After a successful year I was lucky enough to get
in touch with a coach from Coffeyville Community College, Kansas. Within three
weeks of talking to the coach I was on a plane heading towards Kansas.
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| One of my last moments in Ireland before I left. This was at the Cliffs of Moher, along the west coast of Ireland. |
You could say it was a little bit of a culture
shock. The first thing I remember was getting off the plane and getting struck
by ninety degree heat. This was a lot different than a comfortably low fifty
degree climate. It wasn’t long before I started to adapt and was able to enjoy
a new culture. I met a lot of great people in Coffeyville, they helped me enjoy
my freshman year. At the end of my freshman year I heard about Rogers State
University. Once I done some research on RSU I was highly impressed and wanted
to visit the campus. I soon got in touch with Derek Larkin the head soccer
coach. I finally got to see the campus and fell in love, it was perfect for me.
Needless to say I acted quickly and got my transfer for the following fall
semester, I was going to be a proud Hillcat.
I began my RSU career as a sophomore in the fall of
2012. It has been extremely easy for me to settle in and I have met a lot of
great people. I am now a Corporate Communications major and still represent the
university on the men’s soccer team. I have made a lot of great memories here
and will continue to do so in the remainder of my time here.
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| My parents came to visit and watched me play for the Hillcats |
