Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.

Goal: Teamwork
Soccer was not a goal for Beth Peters '11 when she was a high school student looking at colleges. She was more interested in cross-country and basketball. "But after applying to Davidson Early Decision I, I changed my mind and e-mailed the coach. He was looking for a goalkeeper." Her soccer teammates became an important part of her life at Davidson-but not exclusively. "Everyone on the team has her own niche on the Davidson campus. None of us are 'just' soccer players."

Kicking It On the Continent
She studied abroad in France for a semester her junior year, the only American Southerner in her group. "I learned a lot about trying to find common interests with other students." After volunteering in a physical education soccer class, she wound up great pals with a fellow student from Québec, and with other internationals, too.

Embracing Math Nerdiness
Davidson also nurtured a love for mathematics, which Peters has developed with passion and intention. "I didn't really embrace my math nerdiness until I got to Davidson. Here, everybody has their nerdy niche. I'm very reason-oriented. I like to have an answer and know that I got it right. Or to know that I can't find an answer." She was so sure of her choice of math major that she even left math classes off her schedule once upon a semester. "Knowing I might be in the field for a long time, I explored other classes!"

Paying It Forward
Peters started "paying it forward" even before she finished her Davidson career. With a Davidson Research Initiative grant for summer research in the math department, she developed a curriculum unit for use in middle schools, including Charlotte Community School for Girls, where many Davidson faculty are involved. The collaborative student-faculty research was good preparation for her post-grad choice, the Stanford Teacher Education Program. "I spend every morning in a high school math classroom and take classes at Stanford in the afternoon. I will graduate after a year with a master's in education and teaching credential in math."