The route to TWU
Ever since she was seven years old, Aliya dreamed of playing soccer at a high level. Despite her love for the sport, when it was time to decide on post-secondary education, she agreed to settle into a culinary program at a school that had offered her a good scholarship. She would still be able to play soccer but not at the highest university level she once aspired to.
Aliya’s mother (and biggest fan) was not so quick to give up on her daughter’s dreams, however. She contacted top soccer programs in universities across Canada, raving about her daughter. Within a short time, Aliya was at Trinity Western to meet the team, and she found herself envisioning life as a student-athlete at TWU.
On the mountain
Aliya’s initial experience at TWU was at a praise chapel. Overwhelmed, she remembers, “all of these kids were singing, praising, worshipping the Lord,” and she was in tears of joy and disbelief that such a group of people her age existed in one place. Her decision was made even before she’d laced up her cleats and practiced with the team.
Aliya’s time with the TWU women’s soccer team was her dream come to life. The camaraderie with her teammates was unique. “I’d never played with people who care about you so much,” she remembers.
In the valley
During her fourth year of TWU, in a moment, Aliya’s life took a sharp turn. While on the field, she experienced a brain bleed that took her out of soccer completely for over six months. It felt as if her hopes and dreams had been dashed, especially as her identity had been so tightly wrapped up in the sport from the age of three to 22. But that was where God led her on a beautiful journey of discovering who she was in Christ and the layers of talent and desires that had been buried beneath her singular focus on soccer all these years.
Though she was told she’d never play again, Aliya returned to the pitch with a renewed joy and different perspective. “That was where I started to . . . not minimize soccer, but just make it less of an identity marker.” God began to awaken other passions within her during her time away from the sport. Along with her shift in focus, and thanks to the flexibility of Trinity Western’s liberal arts curriculum, Aliya was able to redirect her studies and pursue a degree in corporate communication.
The perfect fit
Although corporate communication was not the degree Aliya began with at TWU, she discovered it was truly the perfect fit for her. Aliya’s love for “working with good, kindhearted people” led her to her current role in marketing. Working in a company whose values align with her own, Aliya is excited that she has an opportunity to use her TWU education to “make a difference in a lot of people’s lives in a very genuine, meaningful, and impactful way.”
There all along
Considering the peaks, the valleys, and the straightened paths in her journey so far, Aliya recognizes God’s hand on her life. “It was clearly God that brought me to Trinity Western. And he formed my heart—formed my life—in such a unique and cool way. When I look forward, I just see more of that. And I'm excited to just be faithful and humble and walk beside him in whatever he has for me,” she explains.
Also see: TWU student David M. shows how embracing change revealed a servant’s heart for leadership
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is a global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has locations in Canada: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Instagram @trinitywestern, Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn. For media inquiries, please contact: media@twu.ca.