ORLANDO, Florida - As humans, we tend to be innately curious.

• Varis was named AAC Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
• Was a nominee for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award
• Also is studying for a degree from the University of Helsinki

“I love learning things," University of Central Florida graduate student Vera Varis said. "So I love when I’m really hard working on something. So like a skill, even a tactical thing.”

Her curiosity keeps her invested in her taxing school work. As an interdisciplinary studies major (with concentrations in biomedicine and chemistry), there is never a dull day for the Swedish-native. Everything she pursues to know has reasoning behind it.

“I don’t accept an answer like, 'oh, this is how things are.' I wanna know why things are like that, and how did things go that way? So I think that’s the fundamentals of what I appreciate.”

Her dedication to understanding how our bodies work and how chemicals interact is admirable, especially for someone with multiple shutouts on the season.

“She puts a lot of pressure on herself, but it’s because she wants to be the best," UCF women's soccer head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said. "And she succeeds academically and succeeds on the field.”

Varis, the 2018 American Athletic Conference Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, has lived up to the hype in her final season. She sports an 8-5-1 slate on the year, allowing 17 goals in 14 games, all while studying in some of the toughest fields a student can enroll in. 

“Vera just makes it looks so easy," her academic advisor, Danilsa Andujar, said. "And I think in her mind, I know it’s not easy, but I think that she enjoys it. And I think if you’re passionate about something, it makes it a little bit easier.”

And her passions are not limited to one concentration.

"I can just sometimes just switch off that, think about soccer [sp], and just go to school work and do that. And the other way around, if I’m stressed about school work or other stuff I can just go out and have a good two hours in soccer training and it’s perfect,” she said.

So even as her days in gold and black come to a close, Varis will continue to ask questions.

“Nothing is black and white, in the classroom or in the soccer field," she said. "There are so many moving parts in a soccer game, so it’s never a yes or no answer, too black and white."