For a select group of student athletes at Portland State, this fall brings new opportunities to excel in their sport — and new academic challenges to overcome as they enter their first season as graduate student athletes at PSU.
They’ll use their remaining years of NCAA eligibility to pursue advanced degrees in business, sociology and geology. As they gain new knowledge, they’ll also build new skills that will help them establish professional careers long after their playing days are over.
We talked with these driven individuals about their decision to attend graduate school at PSU, and found out how they plan to balance rigorous coursework and higher expectations on and off the field.
A Winning Combination
Women’s soccer goalkeeper Eden Millan earned her undergraduate degree in textile engineering while playing soccer for North Carolina State. As a senior, she even created a running shoe with Under Armour.
But the combination of the school’s demanding engineering program and high level university soccer took its toll on Millan emotionally, and contributed to her decision to transfer to PSU to pursue her MBA.
“Being a student athlete is not for the weak, especially in such a rigorous program. I realized it was time to come back [to the West Coast] and lean on my friends and family,” Millan says. She’d redshirted her senior year, so she had another year of eligibility and wanted to find a school that offered the right combination of athletic and academic programs for her.
Millan considered several California schools, but decided that PSU offered what she was seeking, namely trees, a strong sports culture and proximity to large athletic manufacturing companies like Nike, Adidas and Under Armour and a host of smaller ones.
She was also impressed with the Viking coaching staff. “Mo [Whitney] and Lindsay [LaMont] were the first coaches who took the time to actually know me as a human. Not my stats, accolades or even academics,” says Millan. “They asked about my family, my drive for soccer and where I saw myself helping PSU women’s soccer on and off the field. From the first [meeting], I knew this felt different.”
Millan accepted a spot on the team, and a spot in Portland State’s highly regarded MBA program, where she will marry her textile degree with a substantial business degree to help get her foot in the door in the sportswear area.
Leveling Up
Like Millan, Viking volleyball middle blocker Taylor Hunter completed her undergraduate degree at another institution. She earned a degree in criminology and justice studies and a minor in psychology at Cal State Northridge before following a former teammate to PSU to join the volleyball squad.
An all-star student at her previous university, Hunter was on the honor roll all four years and immersed herself in her criminology coursework. “I chose criminology and justice studies because I always had an interest in crime and justice growing up,” she says. “I loved hearing about the law and how it can work for and against people.”
Though Hunter also considered UC Irvine for graduate school — it was closer to home — she ultimately came to PSU because she says the school’s academic offerings better aligned with her path. “Academics are very important to me,” she says.
Hunter is currently carrying a 4.0 while pursuing her master’s in sociology and balancing her studies with her team responsibilities.
Expanding Their Education
The academic pursuits of football players often get overshadowed by what happens on the field. That’s a shame for the Portland State football team, which had its best academic term on record during spring term 2024. Two examples of that academic success can be found in graduate students Kennedy Freeman and Gavin Miller.
Freeman earned his undergraduate degree in Applied Health and Fitness at PSU, and proved to be as impressive in the classroom as he is on the playing field. He’s been named Academic All-Big Sky four years running, College Sports Communicators Academic All-District and has made the President’s and Dean’s list several times.
Still, Freeman admits that being both a good student and a university athlete can be quite challenging. “The key is to get ahead early by starting in week zero. Priming and familiarizing yourself with the syllabus and materials before classes start helps immensely,” he says.
Freeman decided to pursue an MBA because he believes it will help him move into higher management roles and pivot into different industries. To handle the demands of football and graduate school, he plans to lean on his colleagues by capitalizing on each other’s strengths and minimizing liabilities.
As a newcomer to the football team this season, Miller comes from Brown University, where he earned all-league honors as an offensive lineman and a degree in earth and planetary sciences. Miller says he was always interested in science but was terrible at biology and engineering. Instead, he pursued his passion for the way things work in the natural world, studying everything from volcanic eruptions to climate change.
“Plus, I was drawn to the idea of working in the field. Being hands-on is something I needed. With geology, it brings you to beautiful places as well,” he says.
After four years at Brown, Miller wanted a change of scenery and the geology in the Pacific Northwest was fascinating. Academically, he was looking for a two-year graduate program in earth sciences that would also allow him to complete his two remaining years of football eligibility.
“I was looking for a different environment and Portland seemed like a city that matched my vibe,” Miller says.
Plus, PSU’s strong focus in geology and the Northwest’s unique geology and environmental challenges caught his eye. “I was looking for a program that would allow me to continue my studies in earth sciences but with real-world emphasis on different fields. Portland State has a solid reputation in these areas and I felt that transferring would allow me to expand my education,” says Miller.
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You can support all of our Viking athletes by attending their matches and games. Find schedules and ticket information HERE. PSU students get in free with their student ID.
To learn more about PSU’s graduate programs, visit HERE
Carousel photos from top: Eden Millan, Taylor Hunter, Kennedy Freeman and Gavin Miller.