Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Miranda Dougherty: Dreams+Work=Success

By Tom Steele
Director, Academic Outreach and Athletic Initiatives


Miranda Dougherty
Miranda Dougherty’s dog, Oliver, is a mutt who does not have a pedigree. However, Dougherty, a junior defender on the Ferrum College women’s soccer team, has a strong soccer pedigree. Dougherty’s father, Scott, played soccer for Villanova, and with her dad as coach, Dougherty began her soccer career at the age of five.

Dougherty, who grew up in Waretown, NJ credits her parents with influencing her success on the field and in the classroom. Her dad was her “field coach” and her mom, Kristy, was the “academic coach.” Her parents’ support drives Dougherty to be the best at everything she attemps. As a double-major in Criminal Justice and Psychology, with a 3.97 grade point average, Dougherty’s “dream career” is with the FBI. Recently, she has taken steps to make her dream a reality by contacting FBI staff members and aligning herself to be considered for an internship following graduation.

Dougherty discovered Ferrum College after being contacted by then-head coach James Lofton. The atmosphere surrounding the College appealed to Dougherty, as well as the sense of “family” within the soccer team. All was off to great start until a torn ACL shortened Dougherty’s freshman season.

When asked to name her most memorable experience at Ferrum, Dougherty says it is her comeback to soccer after two surgeries to correct the torn ACL. “Overcoming the injury setback required me to remain positive, and move beyond the feeling that my soccer career was over. That experience helped me develop a deeper level of mental toughness,” said Dougherty, who, with the support of her teammates and parents, returned to the field in a win over Emory & Henry.

Dougherty’s sports idol is Mia Hamm, an iconic figure in women’s soccer. In the 1990s, Hamm was known as the best in the sport. Like Hamm, Dougherty wants to be the best at everything she does. Her determination to overcome setbacks to succeed on the field and in the classroom is taking this Ferrum College athlete towards realizing her goals in soccer and in her career.

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