Hard work on and off the field continues to pay off for a former Idaho soccer star.
Kelly Dopke, now in her final semester at the University of Idaho, was awarded a $10,000 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
“This was definitely really important,” Dopke said in a news release. “I was shocked when I got the email in class. I was in disbelief that I actually won the scholarship. It’s a big NCAA scholarship and not many student-athletes get it. It was super humbling, after going through the process and the application and having it all pay off.”
The scholarship is awarded to only 21 male and 21 female fall sport athletes for their success based on athletics, academics, community service and their reputation at the university.
“This award is a major recognition of Ms. Dopke’s accomplishments as a scholar-athlete,” Idaho Faculty Athletics Representative, Brian Wolf said in a news release. “She has clearly distinguished herself as an academic and as a leader. This distinction represents the excellence that is promoted within the UI athletic program.”
Dopke has held a 4.0 GPA in medical sciences through her four years as a Vandal and was recognized as a Google Cloud Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America this past season.
Dopke also racked up athletic awards, including the 2018 Big Sky Defensive MVP and was named to the All-Big Sky First Team.
With the money, Dopke said she plans to travel and get a head start on her next level of education.
“Following graduation in May, I’ll be studying abroad in London,” Dopke said.
After her time abroad studying comparative health systems, Dopke said she plans on returning to do a gap year before diving into med school.
“But med school in 2020 is for sure the goal,” Dopke said. “Studying abroad is something that I never thought I’d be able to do, and I got into that program so I’m really excited to do that and get to travel.”
Zack Kellogg can be reached at [email protected]