As the goalkeeper for the Colgate women’s soccer team, stopping opponents’ shots is just a part of senior Luisa Miller’s joys. Even though the Washington, D.C., native has been many places with the soccer team, Miller has traveled even farther around the globe and been recognized for her academics here at Colgate.

Miller has been to almost every part of the world in her travels with family and friends, including Europe, Russia, Cuba, Central America, the Galapagos Islands, the U.S. territories in the Pacific Ocean, Hong Kong “and a lot of other places,” she said.

“I have been fortunate to travel all over the world. From birth, I have always gone on trips. I come from a traveling family and my parents have always taken my older sister and me on trips all over the place. We were probably those screaming babies on planes.”

Last year, Miller went to Australia and, after graduation, she will probably venture to Argentina with a friend and participate in a Spanish immersion program. The list of Miller’s travels touches five of the seven continents, with only Africa and Antarctica not yet visited.

“When I went to Australia last year, I had a wonderful time,” she said. “So, I think that Argentina should be a great opportunity. I am looking forward to going abroad, perfecting my Spanish and learning the culture.”

On the soccer field, Miller is known for anchoring the Raider defense with stellar goaltending. As a three-year starter, she led Colgate to a Patriot League Championship and a shutout victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Arizona in 2004. With Miller in net, the Raiders also captured a share of the regular season Patriot League title this season.

“I am really proud of the team and the program,” she said. “It’s a very tight-knit team and I think that is often hard to achieve. My best memories were all about the team. It has been amazing and every year got better, regardless of winning.”

Individually, Miller has put together a career record of 29-17-4 for the Raiders, including 14 shutouts in just three years. She was also named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week four times in her career, including twice last season.

Miller has also excelled off of the soccer field. The psychology major was named a George W. Cobb Fellow during her junior year, an award that recognizes outstanding achievement by undergraduates who demonstrate qualities of outstanding leadership and influence among their fellow students. Miller was one of only 20 Colgate students to be honored.

In addition, she is working on her senior psychology project, in which she designed her own experiment and plans on presenting it to the department. “It’s really cool, but I can’t talk about it before I present it,” Miller said about the project.

Even though Miller will graduate in May, she definitely will not forget her years here at Colgate. “Athletics have been a part of my life for so long and to be able to rise up to this level has helped me focus on the important things in life and make sure I always have a good time,” she said.

As for the future, Miller is going to see how things go before making any final decisions.

“I have no idea what I am going to be doing ultimately, [because] I have very diverse interests and I could be happy doing lots of things,” she said. “I will probably try a lot out.”

One thing, however, will certainly be a constant: soccer.

“Soccer will be a part of my life as long as I can move,” Miller said. “At whatever level, either pick up games in a park or a more structured league, I am going to be playing soccer.”