Achieving her goals

When Karen Flores came to California State University, Bakersfield from Ecuador to play for the women's soccer team, her coach had to do a double-take when she told him what she planned to study.

"I've always been good with science, so I came here and told my coach, 'I want to major in engineering,'" Flores said, recalling a conversation with Sebastian Vecchio, who was the team's coach at the time. "He was like 'What? Nobody does that when you're a student-athlete.' I said, 'No, I want that. I know I can do it.'"

Four-and-a-half years later, Flores will graduate with her bachelor's degree in engineering and impressive accomplishments both on the field and in the classroom.

Growing up in Ecuador, soccer was always a big part of Flores' life. She knew she wanted to play the sport as long and at as high a level as she could, but she also wanted to earn her degree. Though she started her college education back home, it was more difficult for her to juggle school and soccer since she wasn't playing for a school's team with a coach who would understand her academic responsibilities. She knew her best bet to successfully pursue both was to play at the collegiate level in the United States.

Soon after Flores was recruited by Vecchio to play as a forward for the CSUB team, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, canceling the 2020 soccer season and keeping Flores at home in Ecuador for her first year. During that time, Flores also began playing for the Ecuador women's national team, which she has continued with while playing for CSUB.

When it was finally time to come to the U.S., Flores had to adapt to life on her own. Not only would she be away from her parents and two older brothers, she'd also be learning a new language, all while balancing her soccer schedule and engineering courses, both incredibly demanding on their own and doubly so together.

"At first it was hard, but I think it was a little bit easier just because I was kind of living my dream," Flores, 23, said. "It was like, 'This is what it takes, I've always wanted this and now I have it.' So, I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I think that helped me a lot."

Fall soccer seasons were the busiest time for Flores, with practice early in the mornings, classes all day and games every week. Fortunately, the hustle is something she is used to, and she credits her parents with her ability to manage it all.

"I feel like my life has always been like this," Flores said. "My parents have been a huge part of just teaching me and showing me how to be responsible. I feel like since I have limited time, I manage it better."

For her final season, Flores and her teammates made it to the Big West Championship, the first team in CSUB history to do so. They just missed their first conference title in an 8-7 loss against UC Santa Barbara, which ended in a penalty kick shootout after a tie.

"I'm just happy I left my mark here and could help the team, especially this year that we made it so far," said Flores, who also ended the season as one of the team's points leaders.