The best advice that Matthew Mills ever received came from his high school soccer coach.

"He said, 'Make a decision, right or wrong, but make a decision. Not making one is the worst decision of all,'" Mills recalled. At the time, Mills had been playing goalie and had been a bit tentative.

"That made me more confident-in soccer and in life, too," he said.

Mills, a native of Sudbury, Mass., is majoring in athletic training/sports medicine. He plans to earn a master's degree in teaching. His goal is to teach high school biology during the day and work as an athletic trainer during the evening.

On the first day of soccer camp after his junior year, he sprained his ankle and had to go to the training room for ice before each practice.

"That made me realize I wouldn't be able to play sports forever, but if I pursued sports medicine, it would be a way to stay involved. I really wanted to do something where I'd be able to help people."

During his senior year, Mills completed an internship with his high school trainer.

"It's surprising that when you're watching for injuries, you don't really see the game," he said. "I had the chance to work a baseball game all by myself. I was a little nervous. I was afraid someone would get a concussion and I'd have to call 911. Fortunately, I just had to do a few tapings."

Mills started playing soccer when he was 5 years old and played all four years in high school. He also played hockey for three years, attending 6 a.m. practices and then going straight to school.

"High school sports taught me a lot of time management skills, a lot of discipline," he said. He says those skills have helped him to manage his workload at Quinnipiac. Mills is enrolled in the University Honors Program.

As a high school student, Mills took honors classes and graduated cum laude with a 3.62 GPA. He also assisted teachers in geometry, biology and gym classes.

Although Mills also applied to the University of Connecticut and Marist College, his final decision came down to Duquesne University and Quinnipiac. Mills said he was impressed by Quinnipiac's friendly atmosphere and outstanding athletic training facilities, including the biomechanics lab. He said he was also pleased that he can start taking courses with a clinical component in his sophomore year.

One experience that made a big impact on Mills happened just a few weeks after he arrived on campus. When former President Jimmy Carter spoke on campus in September, Mills had an opportunity to submit a question for the question-and-answer session following the lecture.

"I found it amazing that a former president would talk to me and was stunned by the whole experience," Mills said. "President Carter started his answer by saying, 'Matt,' and it felt like he actually was talking to me, which blew my mind."