Shelby Royea, a sophomore at Vermont State University Johnson, graduated from BFA-St. Albans in 2024. She’s now studying secondary education and political science, and wants to be a high school social studies teacher. She’s also loving the opportunity to continue playing soccer.
Q&A with Shelby Royea
What inspired you to pursue a degree in education? When I was younger, I wanted to be a teacher. When I got to high school, I wanted to study law. I knew I wanted to make money and not get in debt.
I did an internship with Northwest Counseling and Support Services and shadowed people at SOAR. I wanted to do something that impacts people’s lives, and while at SOAR, I could see that impact. My teachers have been some of my biggest inspirations.
While in high school, I did some research and found that I could get a lot of scholarships for staying in Vermont if I chose to pursue a teaching degree.
I began my freshman year in childhood education, since I didn’t know if I wanted to teach high schoolers right away. I spoke with my advisor, Hannah Miller, who’s amazing, and she encouraged me to do what I wanted.
I wanted to teach social studies because I really connected with my high school social studies teachers. They always seemed happy and passionate about what they taught.
Social studies teachers have a wide range of curricula and can take control of their teaching.
As a secondary education major, you have to have another major in the subject you want to teach. I chose Political Science as my second major because it’s a really interesting way to look at history and social studies.
What have you enjoyed about playing soccer at the college level? One of the reasons I came here was the warmth of everyone. Staying in state, I wanted to experience things in a different way. I’ve met so many cool people, including my best friend who’s from Washington state.
My teammates welcomed me, and we played soccer the day I came to visit. When I came here as a freshman, those people were the ones I connected with, and they’re the ones I spend the day with every day.
Johnson is such a welcoming place athletically and academically. All my coaches and teammates are great, and they’ve created a great home for me here.
What have you enjoyed working with your college coaches? Norm Peterson, our head coach, holds us to a standard every day. He really pushes us to be better athletes and students. He works on campus, so he’s always looking out for us. Dana Bourne, our defense coach, is an amazing person. She has high standards, but she also relates to us as people.
It’s a really fun environment to be in because each coach helps the team in a different way.
Do you have some memorable moments from the season? My favorite parts are when we travel together as a team. So far, my most memorable moment happened this October. We’ve been having back-to-back conference games; we played Thomas, the sixth seed. We were the fifth, and we tied them. On Sunday, the 12th, we played Maine Maritime, the first seed, and beat them 2-1. That was cool! We were down 1-0 at half and came back to win. It was a big celebration, everyone was happy, and it was awesome!
What have you found to be the biggest adjustment from high school to college soccer? The pace of play and the strength of the other players. In high school, you may play against athletes who may not really love the game. In college, everyone was the best player on their team, and it requires a lot more commitment. It takes a lot of preparation, and you’re in the weight room all year. There’s also a lot of physicality, especially depending on the teams you’re playing. I also compete in indoor and outdoor track, which helps me prepare for soccer. Doing the mid-distance sprints is really good for soccer conditioning.
What are your goals as an upperclassman in the coming years? In my freshman year, I made the North Atlantic Conference Honorable Mention. In the coming years, I’d like to make the NAC first team. One of the girls I play with, who was a senior this year, is very confident on the ball and a great communicator. I worked on that this year. I was a center back in high school and am now playing that role in college. It takes a lot of confidence, communication, and decision-making.
Shelby Royea played her high school soccer with the BFA-St. Albans Comets’ soccer team.
What do you remember most about your time playing for the BFA-St. Albans Comets in high school? During my freshman and sophomore years, I was on JVA. My coach, Chris Williams, was awesome; he had a lot of respect for his players.
I tore my ACL in my first year on varsity, so I learned the value of being a teammate and of not having the sport. I worked my butt off the summer before my senior year to prepare to play. I focused on leading my team on the field by example and being a good teammate.
Coming back in my senior year was a highlight. Ben Marlow, my varsity coach, had so much confidence in me, even coming off the injury, which was great for me.
Being in the Comet soccer program really taught me how to be a leader. When I’m having one-on-one meetings with my college coaches, they always focus on how I handle myself on the field, how I interact with my teammates, and how I’m a coachable player. Those are all things I learned from playing for the Comets. I feel BFA teaches that as a value — how athletes carry themselves on and off the field. That’s something I brought with me.
What was it like coming back from a serious injury? The first time I played again, I had hard contact. I stopped, took a deep breath, and knew I was fine. It takes a lot of confidence to go back and play at the level I was. Even in my freshman year of college, I wore my brace and was probably still slightly hesitant. This year, I’ve gained a lot of confidence in my game.
Do you have any wise advice for younger players? Never underestimate the power of hard work and being coachable. Keep an open mind, whether you’re transitioning from middle school to high school or high school to college. Buy into each program you’re in and buy into it. There are only a few things you can control in athletics–but you can always control your attitude and work ethic, the kind of person and teammate you are.
