Rebecca Copeland finds herself incredibly busy. She has had a lot of experience handling the pressure of a full schedule because of her extracurricular work in high school. Not only is Copeland a involved student and athlete, but she has also dedicated herself to community service.
Copeland is one of the latest highly rated prospects to join the Georgia State soccer program, having played with various club soccer organizations such as Alabama FC of the Women’s Premier Soccer League.
The WPSL is a professional development league that in the past has included the likes of United States Women’s National Team players Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan as former players. Copeland has also worked with United States Youth Soccer’s Olympic Development Teams.
Copeland was not only an award-winning player on the soccer field during high school but used her spare time to volunteer for various community service organizations. She was a member of the National Honor Society, Junior Civitan International, the United Way Youth Leadership Council and TOPSoccer.
“TOPSoccer is an organization for youth children that are handicapped or disabled,” Copeland said. “I mentored them on the field.”
Junior Civitan is an organization dedicated to promoting community service among youth with a special focus on raising money for research into developmental diseases such as autism. The United Way Youth Leadership Council is a part of the youth arm of the United Way, one of the largest community service and charity organizations in the country.
“[We] went out into the community. Normally these organizations were pretty organized and they had specific places we would go,” Copeland said. “So we would go to the soup kitchen or just go out picking up stuff around the community. With TOPSoccer, we would go to a specific place such as a high school and have 30-40 kids come out and work with them for an hour and a half.”
Because she was involved in so many organizations on top of school and soccer, it was difficult for Copeland to find time for everything.
“It was hard at times obviously, but I found the time because I loved it and I was able to do it by balancing [the] time,” she explained.
Copeland is interested in finding opportunities on campus to continue her civic engagement but is looking for the right organization. The struggle is, as always, finding the time.
“I went to the Georgia State Welcome Week block parties and the information was there. I am still looking for a specific place I would fit in. With my schedule and everything else, I’m still trying to find the time,” she said.
Copeland credits her community service experience with improving herself as a player on the field as well as a person off it.
“Well it helped me with patience,” she said. “That was a really big thing I learned. The repetitiveness, especially on a soccer field just with myself and having to teach the handicapped and working at the same thing until you perfect it definitely helps on the soccer field.”
It is not only on the field though that Copeland applies the lessons she learned.
“Student wise, community service just opens your eyes to what other people’s situations are. And you’re always wanting to help, or ask for help. That’s another thing that I learned. I mean, you never know unless you ask,” she said.
As an incoming freshman, Rebecca Copeland still has a lot of things to figure out like what major she wants to pursue. Currently, she has set her sights on exercise science. Copeland also wants to decide what on-campus organizations she wants to join.
She believes in wanting to be a role model on and off the field. The women’s soccer team is looking forward to her future achievements as she continues with the Panthers.
