ORONO, Maine -- In this edition of the 'Alumni Spotlight', presented by Dirigo Pines, we catch up with former Black Bear women's soccer captain, Dr. Kelsey Wilson.

Growing up, Kelsey Wilson always wanted to represent her home state of Maine playing soccer. Wilson was a two-year captain at Gorham High School and won three state championships playing for the program. She was named a high school All-American and earned Maine Gatorade Player of the Year honors. After high school, Wilson committed to the University of Maine to play soccer while majoring in Biological Engineering with a Pre-Med minor.

"It was an honor to play for my home school," Wilson said, "It was the best decision of my life."

Looking back on her time at UMaine, Wilson continuously expressed how big of a role her teammates played in her life throughout college. The bonds and memories they made during those 5 a.m. practices are what she will keep with her forever.

Wilson is now one month away from graduating Internal Medicine Residency as a Doctor at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Greene County, Ohio, where she administers medical care to service members and their families. The hours for residency training are extremely demanding for Wilson, as she could work 12-straight days of 12-14 hours, with only having two days off afterward. Each day is never the same for Wilson, as she is either in clinical or in the hospital. In clinical, she is taking care of patients coming in, or filling medications, while in the hospital, she takes care of the patients in need and responds to emergencies throughout the hospital.

"UMaine is the stepping stone for me getting into medical school and getting into residency," Wilson said.

She has always had a passion of caring for people, but it wasn't until her senior year at UMaine that Wilson realized she wanted to make a career out of it. Following her graduation from UMaine in the spring of 2011, she took couple of years off to work at a hospital and study for the tests she needed to pass to get into medical school. Wilson attended Medical School at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. Shortly after, she joined the military to finish her physician training.

"After graduating UMaine, I felt a loss," Wilson said, "Holding people accountable and having physical fitness tests are things I've done my whole life." Joining the military gave her that "team-like atmosphere" that she wanted to have back.

Traveling from Ohio to visit her parents in Florida, or her sister in California, is quite the challenge. With her demanding work schedule, Wilson tries to spend as much time with her family and friends as possible. She also manages to read and stay active, exercising both the body and the mind

Wilson could not be more appreciative of the University of Maine and the role it has played in where she is today. Her time as a Black Bear taught her discipline, hard work, dedication, and teamwork. All of which are used in the teamwork atmosphere she is surrounded by.

"If we work together, we will accomplish it way easier than if we do it independently," Wilson said.

What she has learned from athletics years ago at UMaine, are lessons she credits as helping her reach the levels of success she's achieved to this point.

-UMaine-