Hilda Moyo Turns Soccer Opportunity into Nursing Degree

When Hilda Moyo arrived at Bethel University from Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe, soccer was her way in — and, for a time, the only path she saw to a college education.

This spring, that path leads to graduation. By May 9, Moyo will have played 55 matches for the Bethel Lady Wildcats, starting 31 as a center back, while completing a nursing degree she once thought was out of reach.

Before moving to the States, Moyo played for a soccer club in Zimbabwe. One day, the director of her club approached her, asking if she wanted a chance to further her education.

“Soccer was the only option that I had,” Moyo said. “I didn’t have any way to pay for tuition, so that was the only option for me to go to college.”

Moyo arrived in 2021 on a scholarship tied to a business major. In her first year, Moyo never stepped foot on the playing field.

“I cried so many times because I was scared of losing my scholarship,” Moyo said.

She eventually earned playing time, then starts, and helped Bethel reach nationals in 2023 — one of her proudest moments. She was also selected to the conference’s second team after opposing coaches took notice.

As an international student, Moyo followed the plan laid out for her. Though she joined on a business scholarship, the idea of entering nursing school was always in the back of her mind, shaped by the memory of her grandmother, who raised her and died of ovarian cancer in 2016.

Her decision to change majors would come much later in her path. As a freshman, she was told balancing soccer and nursing as an international student would be too difficult. It wasn’t until the first semester of her senior year that she made the switch, adding an extra year to her academic journey.

Balancing nursing and soccer meant long nights and difficult choices. On road trips, she studied while teammates slept. There were times she had to miss practice, times she said left her “mentally, physically and emotionally” drained.

Moyo said that her faith has sustained her through the challenges of school, soccer and life far from home.

“I keep on believing God and keep on trusting Him because He has been faithful,” she said. “He came through for me in so many difficult times.”

Moyo’s belief in herself also never wavered, supported by an onslaught of people who loved her and looked up to her.

“I built so many relationships here in McKenzie,” she said. “I have people here who always want me to be successful.”

That support system — including soccer coach Misty Aird, Matt and Kristi Johnson, and her boyfriend Stanley Isaac — inspired her to keep going.

Now, Moyo is applying for nursing jobs and hopes to stay in Tennessee if she can secure sponsorship to work in the United States.

Facing her May 9 commencement, Moyo knows her degree is proof that the path she took, despite its challenges, was worth it.

“Coming from a background that says women can’t do anything... I feel like being able to fulfill one of my dreams, just to graduate, is something I’m proudest of,” Moyo said. “I never knew one day I would be here.”