The next step in Phoenix Wooten’s journey—Harvard

By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice on September 14, 2024

Phoenix Wooten, age 7, at Dare County Parks and Rec in 2013. (Photo courtesy of Sean Wooten) And Phoenix at Harvard. (Courtesy of Harvard University Men’s Soccer)

By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice

When local soccer phenom Phoenix Wooten left his First Flight High soccer team two years ago at the age of 16 to play soccer at the prestigious Columbus Crew Academy in Ohio, he wasn’t sure where the journey would lead.

Now, as one of the top pro soccer prospects to emerge from the Outer Banks, Wooten has achieved another milestone in his dream of playing professional soccer—a spot on the team in his freshman year at Harvard University.

“It’s something you can’t put into words,” Wooten told the Voice. “It’s indescribable.”

According to Wooten, he didn’t have Ivy League schools like Harvard on his initial list of colleges because he didn’t think they would be in his ballpark of possibilities. That was until he met a recruiter from ACCESS U—a non-profit foundation that provides Black and Latino student-athletes with mentors and guidance in the college recruitment process—at a recruiting event in Philadelphia during his sophomore year of high school.

A scout for the MLS team in Columbus who was the first student-athlete that ACCESS U helped get into college, was at that recruiting event, watched Phoenix and instantly knew he was a unique talent.

“He saw how good Phoenix was that day, and basically took Phoenix aside and said, ‘You could be a great player, not just a college player.’ And that’s when we started giving him the mentorship program,” says ACCESS U founder Brad Rothenberg.

ACCESS U sets up students with mentors who help them with academic guidance, mentorship and counseling, standardized test prep, college readiness workshops, help with financial aid and scholarships, guidance through the college admission processes, and help with college essays and applications.

“In his case, he was a very good student. He didn’t really need additional academic help. He just needed the connections,” says Rothenberg. “And since we had already had one kid successfully matriculate to Harvard, Coach [Josh] Shapiro was very eager to hear again what we had to offer.”

The Harvard head soccer coach immediately saw what ACCESS U saw in Phoenix.

“Phoenix is a terrific soccer player, and just as important, a high character kid. He is smart, disciplined, and cares about having a positive impact on his teammates and classmates. We see him as someone who will be a staple in our central mf [midfielder] for the next 4 years,” Shapiro said in a statement to the Voice.

When Wooten found out he got accepted to Harvard, he was excited but nervous about how he might fit in at a school where he imagined that students came from wealthier backgrounds. But he found the school to be very diverse, welcoming and accommodating.

“Before I came to Harvard, I thought it was some crazy thing that was on a super high pedestal. But when I got here, I met so many down-on-earth people, barely any super pretentious people,” says Wooten.

That includes his teammates, with whom he says he’s already formed a special bond since they arrived at Harvard on Aug. 14 for the preseason. The regular season began on Aug. 31.

“I love all my teammates. They’re great. Before the season actually started, we had a two-week period just getting to know each other. We did a bunch of teen bonding activities, getting to meet some of their parents. It’s just been great,’ says Wooten.

He also feels fortunate, Wooten adds, that he is able to get lots of one-on-one assistance and support, especially in managing the balance of sports and academics.

“The coaches do really well, and the teachers are also really helpful in helping us with our schedule and making it so we have a lot of time. I think at a lot of schools, especially bigger schools, they don’t have as much support as I think we do here,” says Wooten.

Other than his goal of winning a couple of Ivy League Championships and making it to the NCAA soccer tournament, Wooten has a few other goals while he is at Harvard. He plans to major in either economics or government and is also interested in philosophy. He also wants to help others that might be intimidated to pursue a school like Harvard.

“I guess it sounds kind of cliché, but I would love to help others,” says Wooten. “Like talking to people who need help, maybe joining a nonprofit or something like that and speaking to other people that have kind of come from my situation and helping them to feel at home when they don’t.”

SEE ALSO: Next leg of Phoenix Wooten’s remarkable soccer journey