When prospective student-athletes visit UC Merced, soccer standout Abbie-Leigh Meneses is among the first people they meet.
Not long ago, Meneses was a recruit herself, touring the University of California’s 10th and newest campus. She fell in love with UC Merced and its central location within driving distance to Yosemite National Park and the San Francisco Bay Area.
“I hadn’t even heard of the school before I was recruited,” said Meneses, a Riverside native. “But once I saw the campus, I wanted to go here. I liked the campus and I liked the team.”
Now this much-honored student-athlete and leader is preparing to graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences with an emphasis human biology and a minor in anthropology. She plans to enroll in a veterinary program after taking a gap year in Merced to find hands-on opportunities in the field.
“I have always loved animals, and I always had pets as a kid,” said Meneses, who adopted a stray cat, Theodore, about a year ago.
