{"id":55684,"date":"2023-12-10T10:19:33","date_gmt":"2023-12-10T15:19:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=55684"},"modified":"2023-12-18T09:16:37","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T14:16:37","slug":"shot-at-a-goal-utc-soccer-star-wants-to-become-seventh-doctor-in-her-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/shot-at-a-goal-utc-soccer-star-wants-to-become-seventh-doctor-in-her-family\/","title":{"rendered":"Shot at a goal: UTC soccer star wants to become seventh doctor in her family"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe title=\"UTC Student-Athlete; MacKenzie Smith\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"style=\"max-width: 100%;\"src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QYRjSoysrkY?rel=0&#038;modestbranding=1&#038;autohide=1&#038;showinfo=0&#038;controls=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>University of Tennessee at Chattanooga graduating senior Mackenzie Smith aims to become the seventh physician in her immediate family, but medical school will have to wait until after her soccer career.<\/p>\n<p>Smith, 22, a Knoxville, Tennessee, native whose parents now live in nearby Louisville (<em>pronounced Louis-ville<\/em>), has her eye on playing professional soccer in Ireland, England or Iceland. Then, the two-time all-Southern Conference player and biochemistry major plans to join her five siblings and father and attend medical school\u2014her mom\u2019s a nurse\u2014before hanging up a shingle as a doctor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to be a doctor, OK. But I want to take a gap year\u2014or two, as long as my body will let me\u2014and go play professional soccer overseas,\u201d Smith said, \u201cand then I\u2019ll come back and go to medical school. When we grew up, we would just listen to my parents at the table talk about their patients, just their stories and how it affected them. And so I think all of us kind of knew we wanted to have that impact on people and we wanted to be impacted that way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know it sounds bizarre, but to us (siblings) it\u2019s always been like, this is what we\u2019re going to do. This just always felt so normal, and it never was a push thing from [my parents]. I think my parents are the most hard-working, sacrificial people I know. And so I think it\u2019s almost a testament to how much they\u2019ve done for us and how much love they put into us and also how much love they\u2019ve put into their professions that it spoke to us in that way. So I think it\u2019s not only that I want to be a doctor, but it\u2019s like I want to be like my dad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her father, Dr. Lawrence \u201cLarry\u201d Smith, is a hospitalist at Knoxville\u2019s University of Tennessee Medical Center. Mother Paula is a former critical care nurse. They had six children in seven and a half years: Garrison, Blake, Taylor and Haley either are in medical school or have graduated and are serving their residencies. Logan is about to start medical school.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think medicine is the purest form of serving people and saving them,\u201d Mackenzie said. \u201cIn a fundamental way, that just kind of speaks to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_55687\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"881\" data-attachment-id=\"55687\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/shot-at-a-goal-utc-soccer-star-wants-to-become-seventh-doctor-in-her-family\/mckenzie-smith-23-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-116.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1280,881\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Angela Foster\/University of Tennessee at Chattanooga&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6_2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;McKenzie Smith stands Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 on the UTC campus.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1700495840&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;47&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;McKenzie Smith-23-&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"McKenzie Smith-23-\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;McKenzie Smith stands Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 on the UTC campus.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-116-1024x704.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-55687 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-116.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer midfielder Mackenzie Smith, who will graduate from UTC in December, sports a 3.7 GPA in biochemistry with minors in biology and psychology. Photo by Angela Foster.\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"style=\"max-width: 100%;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-116.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-116-1024x704.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-116-768x528.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-116-800x550.jpg 800w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-116-580x399.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-116-610x420.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-116-1536x1057.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-116-2048x1409.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Soccer midfielder Mackenzie Smith, who will graduate from UTC in December, sports a 3.7 GPA in biochemistry with minors in biology and psychology. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Soccer has spoken to her since she was 4 years old.<\/p>\n<p>A high school standout at Knoxville\u2019s Hardin Valley Academy, she captained the UTC team that just had its first 10-win season in two decades. In her junior and senior seasons, the midfielder was a first-team all-conference selection.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s an impressive individual and leads by example,\u201d said Head Coach Gavin McKinney, who has coached UTC soccer for nine seasons. \u201cShe became team captain her sophomore season, which is rare. She\u2019s the best team leader we\u2019ve had come through the program and helped us take it from the stage where we were beginning to be at a good competitive level to what was our best season, a regular season title in 2022\u2014our first in 26 years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After her freshman season, Smith asked her coach to open the practice facility an hour before the 7:45 a.m. daily training began. Snow, rain, wind\u2014it didn\u2019t matter. First in, and first out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMack is super, super hard-working,\u201d junior teammate and friend Kelly Tuerff said. \u201cShe just goes headfirst into everything she does. She\u2019s very passionate and very strong. She\u2019s always looking out for everyone, whether you are a close friend of hers or a new freshman. She\u2019s always putting herself on your side.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bailee Kusch, who also attends UTC, said she and Smith grew up together and have been best friends since elementary school.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMackenzie is a phenomenal person,\u201d Kusch said. \u201cShe\u2019s there for you to the end and one of the hardest-working people I\u2019ve met. When it comes to soccer, she\u2019s first on the field and first off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Recent Lee University graduate and soccer player Mollie Wheeler has known Smith for eight years and called her \u201cthe most dedicated person I\u2019ve ever met. I\u2019m not one to exaggerate, but she\u2019s closer to me than family. Her whole family has such a high standard of achieving everything possible for themselves. She\u2019s always been one to make sure I\u2019m doing what\u2019s best for me and to give me the tough answers you don\u2019t want to hear. She puts in more work than anybody else I know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Father Larry said Mackenzie, who interns as a patient care technician at Erlanger Hospital, has always been devoted to soccer but is made for medicine. Mackenzie was born last when he was in residency, and Paula watched the children during the day and worked in the intensive care unit as a nurse at night.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll of our children are either in residency or medical school,\u201d he said. \u201cI suspect she [Mackenzie] will go into internal medicine or family practice. She\u2019d be an excellent physician\u2014if that\u2019s what she chooses to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_55688\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" data-attachment-id=\"55688\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/shot-at-a-goal-utc-soccer-star-wants-to-become-seventh-doctor-in-her-family\/ray-soldano\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/Ray-Soldano.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1280,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Ray Soldano\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/Ray-Soldano-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-55688 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/Ray-Soldano.jpg\" alt=\"Mackenzie Smith (#13) played in 86 matches (80 starts) during her Mocs career, scoring 13 goals. Photo by Ray Soldano\/GoMocs.com.\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"style=\"max-width: 100%;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/Ray-Soldano.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/Ray-Soldano-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/Ray-Soldano-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/Ray-Soldano-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/Ray-Soldano-580x326.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/Ray-Soldano-610x343.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/Ray-Soldano-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mackenzie Smith (#13) played in 86 matches (80 starts) during her Mocs career, scoring 13 goals. Photo by Ray Soldano\/GoMocs.com.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Mackenzie said being the soccer captain helped hone her leadership skills because she had to learn how to motivate juniors and seniors early on after tough losses.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I always knew that maybe I wasn\u2019t going to be naturally the best player on the team,\u201d she said, \u201cand that\u2019s OK because that\u2019s not up to me. But I knew that the only thing I could control is how hard I work. And I think people who work hard will beat talent \u2026 nine out of 10 times.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mackenzie said she would like to close out her soccer career by returning to Chattanooga and playing on a burgeoning professional team.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI take medical school and being a doctor very seriously,\u201d she said. \u201cI think it\u2019s a huge commitment, so I don\u2019t want to rush into it because what I think I want to do with it is going to be a specialty that\u2019s going to require 10 years from start to finish.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m so young now and I\u2019ve already done so much school\u2014and I love soccer. It makes sense to me and I don\u2019t see myself not playing it, so why not take two years out of my whole life to go do something?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She sports a 3.7 GPA in biochemistry with minors in biology and psychology, which she thinks will help her bedside manner as a physician.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the way the mind works tells a lot about biologically what\u2019s going on, too. There\u2019s a lot of mental disorders that have biological reasonings behind them,\u201d she said. \u201cSo knowing that [my parents] wanted to take care of people, it never was really about medicine. It was always to take care of people. So how can you use what you\u2019ve been given by God to serve people in some unselfish way? And I think that maybe we all were driven to medicine because of that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have anything that I have today without God. And I think my whole life is almost like a story of His grace and His love. It\u2019s not mine. It\u2019s always been Him. \u2026 Not only do I want to be a doctor, but it\u2019s like I want to be like my dad. I want to serve people like my mom. And I think medicine is that in its purest form\u2014to serve people and to save people in a fundamental way. That just kind of speaks to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Learn More<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/enrollment-management-and-student-affairs\/admissions\/visit\">Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gomocs.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\/roster\/mackenzie-smith\/9875\">Mackenzie Smith GoMocs.com biography<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gomocs.com\/sports\/womens-soccer\">UTC Soccer<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/apply\">How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_55689\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1104\" height=\"1280\" data-attachment-id=\"55689\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/shot-at-a-goal-utc-soccer-star-wants-to-become-seventh-doctor-in-her-family\/mckenzie-smith-23-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-154-e1701226580429.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1104,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Angela Foster\/University of Tennessee at Chattanooga&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6_2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;McKenzie Smith stands Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 on the UTC campus.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1700496050&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;42&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;McKenzie Smith-23-&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"McKenzie Smith-23-\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;McKenzie Smith stands Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 on the UTC campus.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-154-e1701226580429-883x1024.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-55689 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-154-e1701226580429.jpg\" alt=\"Mackenzie Smith started all 18 matches for the 2022 Southern Conference-champion Mocs. Photo by Angela Foster.\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"style=\"max-width: 100%;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-154-e1701226580429.jpg 1104w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-154-e1701226580429-883x1024.jpg 883w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-154-e1701226580429-768x890.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-154-e1701226580429-800x927.jpg 800w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-154-e1701226580429-580x672.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-154-e1701226580429-610x707.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-154-e1701226580429-1325x1536.jpg 1325w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1104px) 100vw, 1104px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mackenzie Smith started all 18 matches for the 2022 Southern Conference-champion Mocs. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UTC graduating senior Mackenzie Smith aims to become the seventh physician in her immediate family, but medical school will have to wait until after her soccer career ends. Smith has her eye on playing professional soccer overseas. Then, the two-time all-Southern Conference player and biochemistry major plans to join her five siblings and father and attend medical school.<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><span><a class=\"more-link button text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/shot-at-a-goal-utc-soccer-star-wants-to-become-seventh-doctor-in-her-family\/\"><span>Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1493,"featured_media":55686,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[661,70,123864,72,123865,48128,61,12659,7712,83654,8244,286],"tags":[123733,117143,122687,122165,123732,123730,123081],"class_list":{"0":"post-55684","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-advancement-and-alumni","9":"category-athletics","10":"category-biology-geology-and-environmental-science","11":"category-chemistry-physics","12":"category-college-of-arts-sciences","13":"category-events-entertainment","14":"category-faculty-and-staff","15":"category-health-and-wellness","16":"category-honors-and-awards","17":"category-psychology","18":"category-students","19":"tag-bailee-kusch","20":"tag-biochemistry","21":"tag-commencement-2023","22":"tag-gavin-mckinney","23":"tag-kelly-tuerff","24":"tag-mackenzie-smith","25":"tag-todd-foster","26":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Shot at a goal: UTC soccer star wants to become seventh doctor in her family | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"UTC graduating senior Mackenzie Smith aims to become the seventh physician in her immediate family, but medical school will have to wait until after her soccer career ends. Smith has her eye on playing professional soccer overseas. Then, the two-time all-Southern Conference player and biochemistry major plans to join her five siblings and father and attend medical school.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shot at a goal: UTC soccer star wants to become seventh doctor in her family | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"UTC graduating senior Mackenzie Smith aims to become the seventh physician in her immediate family, but medical school will have to wait until after her soccer career ends. Smith has her eye on playing professional soccer overseas. Then, the two-time all-Southern Conference player and biochemistry major plans to join her five siblings and father and attend medical school.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/shot-at-a-goal-utc-soccer-star-wants-to-become-seventh-doctor-in-her-family\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-12-10T15:19:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-18T14:16:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2023\/11\/McKenzie-Smith-23-117.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1597\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chuck Wasserstrom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"J. 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