NAMPA, Idaho – Danny Cuevas wanted to break a cycle of physical labor. Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz wanted to set an example for generations to come. Dominic Abdel-Ahad just wanted a degree.

Six Northwest Nazarene men's soccer players are first generation college students and all had different reasons for why they wanted to pursue a college degree.

"It's a very big deal for me," said Cuevas, a junior pre-physical therapy major, "because I'm breaking the cycle of my dad and uncles and all of my cousins that just work for a living in hard jobs out in the heat or the cold.

"My degree not only means a lot for me, but for the next generation that comes after me."

Cuevas, Rodriguez-Diaz and Abdel-Ahad, along with Connor Ruis, Aoci Watambela and Max Hartley, have different backgrounds but they all have two things in common: they love soccer and they are using the sport to earn degrees.

"Soccer was the catalyst financially because I don't think it would be possible to be in college without that support," said Rodriguez-Diaz, a senior from Vancouver, Washington. "My mom and dad always talked about it. They wanted me to have a better life than them, so they sacrificed. So, did my sisters. They didn't go to college either but pushed me to make it."

Head coach Adam Pearce said in his experience there is no profile of who might be a first generation college student. They come from all walks of life.

"They all come from different backgrounds, different nationalities and different socio-economic circumstances," Pearce said. "It is a real statement to the opportunities we can offer kids here at NNU, by way of academic scholarships and athletic scholarships."

Abdel-Ahad, a sophomore from Dusseldorf, Germany, has played for a high-level club team back home but recognizes soccer will only get him so far in life.

"Soccer is really important, but the other part of college is more important," said Abdel-Ahad, a business marketing major. "You never know in life … maybe you get to be a (professional) soccer player, but you can't rely on that. You have to make sure you have another way to have your feet on the ground."

Hartley, a freshman from Stockholm, Sweden, is pursuing a double major in global business and international studies.

He first heard about the chance to attend college when a friend's older brother came to the States. He worked through a firm in Sweden, which eventually connected him to NNU, and thanks to soccer he is in Nampa working on his education.

Watambela, a business management major from Portland, Oregon, is Nazarene and heard about the school at church. His family has supported him throughout his time in Nampa and has urged him to continue his education despite not being eligible to play soccer last year.

Ruis, pronounced Rice, is a freshman biology: pre-med major from Mukilteo, Washington, just outside of Seattle. He said that his grades weren't always the best in high school, but he pushed hard to be eligible to play college soccer.

NNU has 44 first generation students among its roughly 300 new students. Pearce said it's often easy to figure out during recruiting whether a potential student is first generation because the families often don't understand the process for college admission.

"It's such a privilege to walk them through that, both for the student-athletes and the parents," Pearce said. "To be on that journey with them and to be helping their sons have this opportunity is such a privilege. It is fun to see their joy and know what they've typically overcome to do it."

Just getting to college is hard enough for the students, but then having to succeed is an extra layer of responsibility.

"Going into my first year I was feeling a little pressure and a little scared because I didn't know what to expect," Cuevas said. "All the effort my parents and family made and all the people who gave me the chance here at NNU … I didn't want them to be disappointed if I didn't do well.

"That pressure and nervousness just drives me to succeed in the classroom and I've done pretty well."

Both Cuevas and Rodriguez-Diaz said the sacrifices of their parents and the way they were raised make it so they put in the effort in the classroom and try not to skip classes.

"There are times I don't want to go to class," said Rodriguez-Diaz, a marketing major, "but I think of all the sacrifices of my parents and I think, 'I have to go.' Not just for myself, but also for them."

Rodriguez-Diaz is the lone senior in the group and has graduation in his sights. To say he can't wait for commencement is an understatement.

"It's going to be like a dream come true for my parents when they see me walk that stage and get that diploma," he said.