Being part of and contributing to community is a driving force for Edge alumna, Nicola Dominikovich (grad 2013). In December 2019, she found herself celebrating along with her family and her teammates in her father’s hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand. Nicola had just earned her master’s degree in nursing science (MNSc) from the University of Otago in Christchurch, accepted a job as a ward nurse at the Christchurch Hospital, and was the starting striker for the Canterbury United Pride when the team claimed back-to-back titles at the Women’s National League Soccer Championship in New Zealand. Community was the driving force for all.
As a student-athlete in the Edge co-ed soccer academy, Nicola was driven to succeed in both sport and school and began to develop an affinity for tightknit and supportive communities. Her success at Edge took her to the smaller city of Jacksonville, Alabama on a soccer scholarship, where she played with the JSU Gamecocks Women’s Soccer Team for her four years at the school. After completing her Bachelor of Science degree (BSc) at Jacksonville State, and suffering a stress fracture at the end of her last season, Nicola came home to Calgary for a short time, and then was drawn to New Zealand to pursue her master’s degree.
She took an 18-month break from soccer after Jacksonville, then was connected with a family friend, and sprinting coach in Christchurch, who invited her to join his training sessions. She was invigorated by the sport and inspired to return to soccer. Soon after, she made the Canterbury United Pride Women’s Soccer Team and has developed a deep appreciation for cross training in sprinting, which she continues to incorporate and credits for her speed on the soccer field.
Caring for patients as a nurse, much like playing on a team, requires being responsible to others in those communities – something Nicola loves.