By blocking shots on the soccer field and shaping young female minds, junior political science major Janine Gordon has found her place at FMU.

Gordon, who is originally from Florida, has been playing soccer for 13 years. Her option to attend FMU appeared when she wasn’t expecting it. FMU scouts saw Gordon’s talent when she was traveling to play for her high school soccer games.

“The decision to come here kind of happened randomly,” Gordon said. “They reached out to me after seeing me play at a tournament when I was younger.”

In addition to her interest in FMU’s soccer team, Gordon said the smaller size of the student body also attracted her to FMU.

“I prefer to be at smaller schools,” Gordon said. “I just thought it would be a great fit for me.”

When she was a young girl, Gordon was a natural flyer. Her coaches gave her the position of goalkeeper.

“When I was younger, they just kind of threw me into the net, and I have loved it ever since then,” Gordon said. “You don’t normally see six-year-olds wanting to fly in front a ball, but it didn’t scare me.”

As a goalkeeper for the FMU women’s soccer team, Gordon said she has one clear goal in mind for this season.

“I want to have 50 percent shutouts out of our home games,” Gordon said. “That means I block at least 50 percent of the goals against us.”

Gordon said that her soccer coach at FMU brings consistency to her training and life as an athlete.

“As an athlete, I like knowing that I have a schedule to follow,” Gordon said. “My coach is very organized.”

According to Gordon, soccer and college are not the only things on her mind. She wants to show young girls that it’s okay to be different. Gordon began modeling for athletic campaigns to bring more awareness to her platform.

Gordon said her main goal is to show young girls like her that being different is okay.

“I am trying to promote my platform for other young African-American females so they can see they are pretty, too,” Gordon said. “I was recently signed to a modeling agency in Florida called Sports and Lifestyles Unlimited. During the summer, I am going to try and do a lot more fitness modeling.”

Gordon said that one of her ultimate modeling goals is to participate in a Nike campaign. As a young woman who doesn’t fit the stereotypical molds, Gordon said she wants to show other women that they should be confident in themselves.

“I think being a dark-skinned model is something you don’t come across too often,” Gordon said. “Especially a dark-skinned model with dreadlocks.”

In addition to her soccer training, Gordon says she has an individualized workout routine and other hobbies.

“I like to do yoga,” Gordon said. “I also like to get my nails done. I’m a boy on the field, but off the field I am very girly.”

After graduating from FMU, Gordon has plans to attend law school. She said her main goal for her future is to start helping others in the medical malpractice field.

“I’m hoping to go to law school and, more specifically, practice medical malpractice law,” Gordon said.

Gordon is thinking about returning home for graduate school.

“I am thinking about going to the University of Miami in Florida to start my career in law,” Gordon said.