In the wake of all that is happening in society today, the goal of Academy of Art Athletics remains the same: to help shine a light on our amazing student-athletes, coaches, and administrators. With that in mind, ART U brings to you the latest installment of the Knights Roundtable!

With the team's 2021 season less than two weeks away, the roundtable welcomes women's soccer goalkeeper Nicole Peoples! Playing over 200 minutes in each of the past two seasons, Peoples has collected 28 saves in 10 matches with a 1.27 goals against average. She posted a career-high six saves versus Hawaii Pacific on Nov. 11, 2019, playing a full 90 minutes in that contest. In addition to her success on the field, Nicole is a two-time Academic All-PacWest and one-time D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award honoree in the School of Visual Development. Without further delay, let's meet Nicole!

Sports Information: Can you talk a little bit about your hometown and where you grew up? What did you like to do when you were young?

Nicole: I grew up in Sacramento, California. I was fortunate enough to live in a quiet and safe neighborhood where nothing bad happened. When I was a kid, I enjoyed drawing and I would typically draw my friends and family.

Sports Info: When did you first start developing a passion for soccer? What did you like about it?

Nicole: When I was young, my parents wanted me to be active so they let me try out a variety of sports and soccer was the only one I was good at. And it wasn't until when I was six when I wanted to continue playing soccer. I mainly enjoyed being able to work with a team and it felt great being able to contribute to the team.

Sports Info: What is your favorite movie and why?

Nicole: My favorite movie is The Incredibles. It's a great film that tells a realistic story of a family with a twist that they are superheroes. Even as a kid I was able to understand the themes behind the movie and at the same time the action scenes are animated and coordinated beautifully without it pandering to children.

Sports Info: Who is one person you look up to and why?

Nicole: I look up to my mom for how kind and caring she is. I've always respected my mom with the hard work and effort she does in many things, especially when it came to raising me. 

Sports Info: What is your favorite part about being a student-athlete? 

Nicole: Even though it's a lot of work juggling being a student-athlete, my favorite part is being able to do the two things I enjoy: art and soccer. I'm grateful that I was given an opportunity to do both. 

Sports Info: If you had a time machine and could only travel in one direction, would you rather go to the past or the future? Why?

Nicole: I would rather go to the future since it's always fascinating seeing how much we as humans develop and evolve over the years.

Sports Info: What attracted you to your major and what do you love most about your major?

Nicole: I always enjoyed drawing as a kid and I always wanted to pursue art as a job and looking into the majors ART U provided I felt Visual Development was the best fit for me. Since I wanted to focus more on drawing than animation, I was able to develop my art skills. I have been self-taught and since now I'm more heavily focusing on art, I can try creating more elaborate artwork and experiment more with my art. 

Sports Info: If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?

Nicole: I would be an axolotl; it's mainly due to how cute and weird they are.

Sports Info: What is your dream job? 

Nicole: My dream job is being a concept artist either in the video game or film industry.

Sports Info: If you could play alongside any professional soccer player, who would it be and why?

Nicole: I would like to play alongside Adrianna Franch since I've always liked her playing style. She has good control of the ball and great hand-eye coordination.