Senior Caroline Alexander fills a cooking sheet with about two cups of pumpkin seeds. She measures them carefully and bakes them until they are perfect. She then carefully combines these with a multitude of other ingredients, creating a final pumpkin-butter product that she can spread over a piece of bread.
The process of working through a recipe puts Alexander at ease. She started cooking when her father made home meals for her family. His quality of work inspired her to start making food of her own, especially when she had to fend for herself in college.
“As I got older, I got access to my own stove and oven, so I have been able to experiment with cooking,” Alexander said. “It is just something that is a stress reliever. I just like trying new things and allowing people to try them too.”
Her passion for making different types of food takes over a lot of her personal life. In addition to actually making recipes, she also writes for Spoon University, a food blog centered around college students. She details recipes, their nutritional importance and easy ways a person can execute them.
Just as she is in the kitchen, being in control is a product of Alexander’s natural personality. Always described as a raw leader, she stepped up to the plate when Alabama needed a new captain. She and fellow senior Auburn Mercer filled in the role, and together they ushered in a class that featured nine newcomers.
“Me and Auburn [Mercer] are just kind of just born as natural leaders,” Alexander said. “Even when we were freshman there were people looking towards us. I think that as we got older, it just became more solidified.”
Much like the way a recipe tells its cook how to organize the ingredients, a captain organizes its team. A captain needs to know where everyone should be at all times. While it may not be as easy as following along with a set of instructions, junior Elena Zang said the team would be lost without Alexander’s leadership and organization.
“She always gives good advice,” Zang said. “She makes sure that everyone is making the right decisions. She is someone that everyone always looks up to. It was obvious she was going to be one of the captains.”
Alexander believes that leadership comes naturally to her. She dedicates her whole mind to the tasks she is involved in and tries to be someone friends can look up to. Outside of soccer, she is very active at Tuscaloosa’s Church of the Highlands and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Faith is a big part of her life, and it translates into her athletic career.
“Most of the people that I am surrounding myself with in these different Christian organizations are always very supportive and positive,” she said.
Alexander first started playing soccer at 3 years old. She developed her game through a collection of coaches while playing at the Charlotte Soccer Academy — where she played alongside Mercer. This club helped her get recruited and find the college program that was a perfect fit for her.
When she got to Alabama, Alexander experienced a transition period as the coaches who recruited her were let go, and head coach Wes Hart was brought in.
Despite the change, Zang believes it wasn’t a difficult adjustment.
“Her and Wes [Hart] clicked from the beginning,” she said. “They have the same mindset. They love to win.”
With her career coming to a close, Alexander reflects on the memories that have made her life at Alabama what it is today. The team struggled in her junior season, but this season made improvements under her leadership.
There’s also one memory from her senior season she will always cherish.
“My favorite moment now is this is past senior night and just closing the deal with beating Georgia for the fourth time in my career,” Alexander said. “We never lost to them my entire career here. Especially with it being Power of Pink night and senior night and having the support of my family, friends and fans. It could not have gone any better.”
Alexander and Alabama soccer will take on No. 13 Florida in Gainesville, Florida, looking to upset another ranked opponent like they did against Texas A&M. That game will kick off at 5 p.m. CT.