It's not only that Michelle Alozie plays for the Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League, or that she recently won an African championship with the Nigerian national team.

The Yale grad also helps conduct pediatric cancer research at Texas Children's Hospital.

Alozie's dual careers sprang from necessity because — in the days before the NWSL adopted its first collective-bargaining agreement in 2022 — she was uncertain whether she could earn a livable wage in soccer.

“I remember telling my boss that football was my main priority, and I just needed kind of like something on the side to make sure that, if needed, my resume was still there, I'm still in the medical field and I'm ready if my football life doesn't pan out," she said.

The child of Nigerian immigrants, Alozie origina

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