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Contributed by Hilary Scheppers MFA '17
 
Sarah Lawrence College offers such a wide variety of international and exchange programs that it's often hard to find a student who isn't interested in studying off-campus as a junior. As a result, most varsity teams lose a few players each season after their sophomore year.
 
Luckily, the men's soccer team never lost Juan Sucre (Caracas, Venezuela/ASFM (Monterrey, Mexico)). The senior captain—who is concentrating in history and Spanish literature—is originally from Venezuela but grew up in a number of different countries, attending international schools in places like Mexico, Indonesia, London and Madrid. When it came time to choose a college, Sucre's brother's friend, who is a college counselor, knew about Sarah Lawrence and suggested that he investigate further.
 
"I really didn't know the concept of liberal arts before I looked at SLC," Sucre said, yet he found the learning community to be exactly what he wanted out of a higher education. "I'm not great at testing. I always had good grades, but it's because I understood the concepts and not because I performed well on tests."
 
When asked about the athlete experience on his student life, Sucre recalled that soccer helped him adjust to the rigors of college life, developing necessary time-management skills. "[Playing a sport] forces you to build a strict schedule of when you're going to do work, and it helped me."
 
Soccer also played a critical role in helping Sucre to make close friends on campus, providing an instant bond with his new classmates. "If it wasn't for soccer, I wouldn't have made some of the great friends that I have. I became best friends with all [my teammates] immediately." His enthusiasm for sports also led him to join the men's basketball team during his first two years and the men's tennis team as a junior.
 
Sucre has the distinct honor of being one of a handful of four-year senior athletes who will be leading their teams in Sarah Lawrence's first year as a full member of NCAA Division III. SLC joined the Association in 2012 and the Gryphons became a member of the Skyline Conference in 2014. Each progression has seen growth in roster sizes, increased commitment from the student-athletes, and an up-tick in the level of competition.
 
Head Coach Scott Miller, now in his second season, has incorporated the Sarah Lawrence style into his practice sessions. During one practice, the team engaged in a group discussion, reminiscent of the group conferences that are a key part of many SLC classes. Miller explained, "We sat around and told some stories about ourselves to share a little bit more about where we all came from. It's pretty incredible."
 
Sucre added, "The balance between athletics and academics is sometimes thought of as polar opposites, but you have to be disciplined to do both, if you're disciplined in one, then you can be disciplined in the other."
 
When Coach Miller describes what Sucre brings to the team as a player, commitment comes to the forefront. "Juan has a passion for the team and for helping the program grow. He plays on defense as center-back. It helps to have leadership there because that player sees a lot of the field and can direct the team. They have the vision."
 
Truly, Sucre has the vision for leading the team to make great strides every season, inspiring his teammates to improve individually and as a team. It's the beginning of what's to come for men's soccer at SLC. The Gryphons won their first home game and are making progress from last season.
 
Reflecting on his time at Sarah Lawrence, Sucre concluded by saying that he appreciated that the College offers a style of learning that is vastly different from other schools. "I'm so glad that I ended up here," he noted, "I wasn't ready to commit to one major or career path. SLC has been exactly what I wanted."