1. She graduated college.

Alex Morgan was 17 when she was called to the United States under 20 women’s national soccer team. She had not even graduated high school, but many knew she was bound for greatness. She went on and played Division I soccer at UC Berkeley, and while she would miss gaps of time to train with the national team, she did finish all her credits and graduated. While she knew she did not need a college degree to play soccer professionally, she recognized the importance of receiving one.

2. She gives back.

Alex Morgan’s mother in law was a cancer survivor, and throughout her life she has always supported women. Therefore, she is a major supporter of Susan G. Komen and all the efforts they put forth in finding a cure for cancer.

3. She breaks barriers.

She is an athlete on the field, but a bookworm off the field. In 2012, she signed a four book series about middle school aged girls on the themes of soccer, friendship and leadership. Her second book debuted as number seven on The New York Times Bestseller’s list, and Amazon has ordered a pilot episode to be made based off of her book series. She has always wanted to inspire younger girls to accomplish their dreams.

4. She is more than just a teammate.

It is very important to be there for your teammates, even off the field. Alex Morgan cares about everyone of her teammates. She's always noted as their rock.

5. She bounced back.

While she still has many years left in her career, Alex Morgan has gone through many injuries, including tearing her ACL. While at times she could not play soccer for months and was in recovery, she came back fighting, played harder and helped the Women’s National Team win the 2015 World Cup.