For Nicholas Harriott, playing soccer was more than sport. It was a transformational opportunity to overcome life’s hardships.
“I come from a very poor background, and growing up in the inner city in Jamaica I was affected by the constant violence that surrounded me,” says Harriott.
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He was one of five children raised by a single mother in a town with one of the highest crime rates in Jamaica. Needless to say, Harriott and his family faced numerous challenges but from an early age, he aspired to do more for himself and his community. Encouraged by his mother, he knew educational opportunities opened by his athletic abilities were the key to escaping a life of poverty and sadness.
A leader in the classroom and on the field, his hometown soccer coach suggested he might thrive at Caldwell University in Caldwell, N.J. And thrive he did while competing against the best of his peers both athletically and academically from 2004 to 2008.
In addition to leading the Cougars to 47 victories, the most in a four-year period in the school’s history, Harriott was a three-time member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference All-Academic Team and a third-team CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2007. He also served as president of Caldwell’s Tri-Beta Biology Honor Society and International Student Association, graduating with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
His most recent honor was his 2013 selection to the NCAA’s Division II 40th Anniversary Tribute Team.
A microbiology supervisor, Harriott lives with his wife and son in Fairfield, N.J., where soccer remains a huge part of his life as a youth club soccer coach. He is also working to grow youth soccer programs in Jamaica.