Albin Gashi has always been passionate about soccer. Raised in a small village near Gothenburg, Sweden, Gashi displayed talent on the field that led him to play in the country’s second division, and he eventually caught the attention of U.S. college recruiters.
“I knew nothing about colleges in America other than there were Ivy League schools,” he explains. “It was interesting to learn that there were so many opportunities to not only pursue soccer competitively but also learn at a good school.”
A visit to the University of Virginia in January 2022 convinced Gashi that this was the right place to continue his education and soccer career. “Initially, my mom wasn’t happy about me going that far away, but now she and my dad are happy for me,” he says.
It’s Like the Movies
Upon arriving on Grounds, Gashi was impressed by more than the University’s strong soccer program and academic reputation. “It was like being on the set of a movie,” he says. “It didn’t feel like real life. College in America is so different from Europe and Sweden.”
Soccer became his primary focus that first semester, but he quickly realized that the academic rigor would require far more time than he had initially planned to dedicate towards studying. “My first fall here was tough,” he admits.
Despite the initial difficulties, Gashi adapted to the pace and expectations of UVA. He gradually found a balance between his athletic and academic responsibilities, with mornings dedicated to soccer and afternoons focused on his studies.
“The spring was more relaxed when it came to my soccer commitment, so I was able to put more time into school,” he explains. “But then also in my second fall, I knew what I needed to do in order to be successful at both.”
Support from His Team
Gashi had decided even before coming to UVA that he wanted to pursue business. However, he was acutely aware of how challenging it would be to get into McIntire.
“The upperclassmen on the soccer team advised me to lock in if I wanted to be accepted into Comm,” he says. “It helped that there was a group of us on the team in the same year group that wanted to pursue McIntire, so it was nice to have that support network through the application process.”
His hard work paid off when he was accepted. “That was a really proud moment for me,” he says. “It validated for me that I could achieve success at UVA and that while I may have been recruited for soccer, I was able to earn the grades necessary to get into such a reputable program.”
Focused on the Next Chapter
As Gashi begins the next chapter of his UVA career, he continues to remain locked in on academics and plans to lean into all of the different opportunities McIntire can offer to enhance his college experience in America.
“I’m looking forward to the education and learning from the professors. It’s exciting to talk with my peers about our different backgrounds and experiences,” he says. “It just seems like a really supportive community to be a part of.”
Gashi plans to pursue Management as a concentration as well as explore Marketing and Media Studies. Regardless of what he eventually decides to study, he says his experience at UVA has been so transformative that it has altered his future plans.
“When I first came to college in the United States, I didn’t plan to stay after graduation. But now, I’d like to stay and pursue professional soccer, first, because a soccer career can only be for so long. Then, I’d like to use my degree from UVA to pursue a career in business, and I will be better prepared to do so because of the education I received here.”
