Game Program Feature: Lexi Herring
October 08, 2014 | Soccer
Originally printed Oct. 4, 2014 in the First and Goal football game program
By Adam Miller,
Asst. Director of Athletic Media Relations
Under the rules of the game of soccer players are not allowed to use their hands unless positioned at goalkeeper or performing a throw-in after the ball has traveled out of bounds. While it might be the most basic, yet obvious rule that differentiates the sport from others, East Carolina senior midfielder Lexi Herring traveled beyond the boundaries of the United States border and found another way to use her hands in an effort to help a different team.
A native of Wilmington, N.C., Herring is currently enrolled in ECU's College of Nursing, and in May 2014, took advantage of the opportunity to study abroad for three weeks in Guatemala - a small country in Central America bordered by Mexico, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras, just below the Yucatan Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico.
"I wanted to go out of the country and experience something new," Herring said. "It was great being immersed into a new culture, knowing they don't have all the resources I have back home. You hear that every day but it's different when you're there and living in it."
Herring traveled alone and did not know anyone among the 14 other ECU nursing students who were there receiving the same experience as her. She was one of 15 people living within the confines of the house that had one miniature television and did not have washing or drying machines.
"The first day I got there and on my way there I cried my eyes out, and leaving on the last day, I cried my eyes out again because I was going to miss the people I developed the relationships with," Herring said. "I learned that there is love everywhere. They took me in as one of their own, fed me and did everything they could for me. Everyone everywhere has good hearts."
During her three weeks in Guatemala, Herring obtained a wealth of experience in the nursing field, making the real world her hands-on classroom. She earned college credits as part of a community health-nursing course that emphasized patient education, while learning and adapting to the Spanish language.
"A lot of the conversation was in Spanish so I took language lessons while I was there, and sometimes it took four hours each day," Herring said. "We would go to different hospitals and schools and talk to them about dental hygiene, hand-washing and clean water. We also did clinical hours."
In addition to her hospital and school visits, she stepped into numerous other settings where misfortune and poverty were common themes.
"I went to a house filled with malnourished babies called Casa Jackson and helped out there. We also went to a hospital and worked with mentally and physically disabled children."
Free time was not as plentiful as it is in many other study abroad program structures. Herring took Spanish lessons from 8 a.m., until noon and went directly to clinical practice, leaving her somewhat exhausted from the day's work. That didn't stop her from taking some time to play with some of the local kids however.
"I would hang out with the family at night and sometimes we played soccer in the streets which was fun. They loved soccer in a way that was so different than it's loved in the U.S. The kids would collect cards of all the players and they were so into it."
Herring's interest in becoming a nurse, specifically in labor and delivery, did not come to fruition out of spontaneous interest, but rather from her bloodline. Her father works from the business angle in the field of home healthcare.
"I didn't know if I wanted to be a nurse or a physical therapist, but I knew I wanted to do something in healthcare. I really decided during my sophomore year because I wanted to help and care for people. I feel like that's really in my nature."
Graduate school is in the plans for Herring, but she also believes working experience in the field is just as important to landing her dream job in the nursing field. One of her most enjoyable hobbies, playing soccer, will come to an end during that career pursuit, but that experience is cherished by her for more than scoring goals and winning games.
"I've learned so many things from soccer other than how to shoot the ball. It's about leadership, teamwork, having a set schedule and learning how to manage my time. I'll take a ton away from this experience and hopefully it will benefit me in the real world."
