Editor’s note: Michelle Alozie is a 2024 Houstonian of the Year finalist. Read about the winner and the other runners-up here.

Michelle Alozie is not your average soccer star—not by a long shot. Her trajectory from playing with her siblings in a Southern California backyard to roster spots on both the Houston Dash and the Nigerian women’s national team is fueled by relentless passion and a rare ability to successfully balance high-stake roles on and off the pitch. And, as if dominating the game weren’t enough, she also spends her time researching pediatric cancer. To say she’s busy would be putting it mildly.

Growing up the youngest of four in an immigrant household, Alozie didn’t start her path to soccer stardom with organized leagues or shiny cleats, but with a determined uncle and a lot of sibling rivalry.

“Uncle Emmanuel was the one who introduced my entire family to soccer,” Alozie said after one of the rigorous training sessions that often fill her days. “Since I was the baby, of course, I wanted to play and be better than all of my siblings. It was always a competition we had.”

The youngest child’s instinct to outshine the rest set the tone for a competitive streak that would serve her well. Soccer wasn’t just something she excelled at—it was a way to prove herself. At 4 years old, she was out on the pitch in her tiny cleats, fighting to keep up with her older siblings. It wasn’t until middle school that the sport became something more serious, and even then, the goal was modest: to get a college scholarship.

“[My parents] didn’t know until I started playing soccer that you can get a scholarship for going to college and playing, and they loved that idea because they’re like, ‘Wait, you can go to college for free? Amazing, you’re gonna go play soccer,’” she says.

Alozie not only got a scholarship but also earned a ticket to Yale University, where she studied molecular biology while playing Division I soccer. She went to the University of Tennessee for a postgraduate year, furthering her passion for the game. That experience would eventually lead her to Houston, though it wasn’t exactly a straight shot.

After COVID hit, Alozie was at a crossroads. Without a clear direction, she found herself crashing with her sister in Houston. Following a little encouragement from a friend on the team, she reached out to the Houston Dash coaching staff about training. “I bet on myself. I emailed one of the coaches, and it’s just like history wrote itself,” she says. Alozie began as a scrimmage player, fighting for a spot on the Dash team, spending seven long months as a hopeful. “I was put in whatever role because I’m a practice player. I was like, ‘I don’t care what I’m doing. Just let me play.’”

Alozie’s dedication and hard work on the practice field led to her officially joining the Dash in 2021 as a forward. That same year, she became a research technician in pediatric oncology at Texas Children’s Hospital.

“Pediatrics is so sad, especially when it’s paired with oncology, but being able to completely change the trajectory of someone’s life so young is so, so crazy, and it’s like, so fulfilling,” Alozie says.

While the choice to go into the medical field as an athlete might seem like a jarring one for most people, they’re not Alozie. She always had a passion for science; it was just a matter of time before she found her niche.

“Ever since I was little, I just loved science and really loved animals. I still love animals. I wanted to be a vet, and I thought it would be so cool to save every animal there is,” Alozie says with a laugh. “As I got older, that transitioned to human and biological sciences. It made sense that medicine would be a career path for me eventually.”

While medical school may lie in her future, Alozie is content with the current work she is doing on cancer research on acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

“The really long research we’re doing is seeing how chemotherapies can help very specific AML cancers and trying to do more specialized medicine, which is really good because not everyone has the same exact cancers. That’s super fulfilling,” Alozie says.

Her breakthroughs extend beyond her medical career. During those grueling months of proving herself as a practice player for the Dash, Nigeria’s national team came knocking. The Super Falcons were short on players and training nearby in Houston. And with Alozie’s dual citizenship, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. She earned her first cap with Nigeria shortly before officially joining the Houston team—a moment that was, for her, as much about personal identity as professional achievement.

“Growing up, I used to always think I wasn’t American enough, I wasn’t Nigerian enough because I don’t speak the native tongue. It’s so fulfilling to wear the crest [and] have ‘Alozie’ on the back of my jersey. To do that for my parents and my family was such a proud moment for me,” Alozie says.

That experience of playing for Nigeria was a powerful affirmation of her roots. For Alozie, it wasn’t just about competing at an international level; it was about finally feeling like she belonged to both worlds. “It made me feel really Nigerian,” she says. “Now, I go to Nigeria every other month, and it feels like a part of me I didn’t necessarily know was missing.”

This debut was just the beginning. By 2024, she earned a spot on the roster for Nigeria’s Olympic squad. As exciting as the opportunity was, the Olympic experience didn’t come without a hint of disappointment for Alozie. Her team was stationed in Bordeaux, far from the Olympic Village and the thrilling chaos of Paris, watching the opening ceremony on a TV screen like the rest of us. Despite the distance, the weight of the moment wasn’t lost on her. The Super Falcons had finally qualified for the Olympics again, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since 2008, and Alozie was there to contribute to that history.

Back in Houston, Alozie is known for her flexible playing style and valued on her team for her uncommon ability to master several areas of the pitch.

“She’s a player of many talents, and she’s very fortunate that she doesn’t really fit in one box,” says Jane Campbell, goalkeeper for the Dash. “A lot of times, players are stuck in one box and can’t really get out of that. But I think because she could play offense and defense…it’s super helpful for her. She can play anywhere in the field, maybe even goalkeeper,” Campbell adds with a laugh.

Alozie’s star continues to rise in the city, not just as an athlete but as a role model and a community figure. Her two careers are a balancing act, and she has made no sign of choosing one over the other anytime soon. Where one world demands the physical and mental rigor of professional sports, the other pulls her into the quiet, methodical discipline of medical research. And yet, in both arenas, she’s motivated by the same driving force of making an impact.