Everyone has had those aha! moments in their lives that result in a major breakthrough or solution to a problem. People have these sort of moments in all aspects of life, and Brockway native Chanell Britten had one of these moments while in Washington D.C. on a train with her mother.
“There was this man who was out of breath, and I gave up my seat for him on the train,” Britten explained. “I began to ask him questions, and he told me he could not answer the questions I was asking. He did tell me he was rushing home to see his family, who he had not seen for seven months and that he also worked for the government. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to work as a federal agent.”
As a high schooler, many think they know exactly what they want to do for a living. Some people stick to that, and others change their path. While both of these avenues are just fine, being a college soccer player and becoming a federal agent is exactly what the Brockway native has known she has wanted to do for several years.
While she knew what she wanted to do for several years, she also put the work in and found the resources to help live out her dreams. She joined the Northern Steel travel soccer organization and traveled to showcases and tournaments across the United States in hopes of being recruited to play at the next level.
The time she spent playing and the time and money her family invested has come in handy as the Brockway Area High School product recently completed her first year of college soccer at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. While she did play in 13 games, she was granted another year of eligibility by the NAIA because of COVID-19 effects on college athletics this year.
This extra year will be useful as she can pick up an additional major in criminal justice and begin work on a master’s degree. When she graduates from Point Park, she will have dual degrees in intelligence studies and national security and criminal justice. Her masters down the line will also be in intelligence studies and national security.
Point Park has one of the best programs in the entire country and produces many future FBI and CIA agents for the United States government. Britten may just be one of the next ones but is not wishing her days of being an athlete away just yet.
In 13 games, she played meaningful minutes in all of those contests. She also scored her first collegiate goal in the final game of the season, and she did that while playing on a broken foot. Though she did not know it at the time, Britten had broken her foot just days prior and played through the injury.
Thankfully, it did not require surgery, and she should be cleared to resume soccer activities in just a few more weeks. This season meant a great deal to Britten, her teammates, and all athletes who were able to compete this fall. Though for the Lady Rover great, she took on a new role this year. In her time at Brockway, she set the school record with 164 goals while also managing to dish out 43 assists as well. Accounting for over 200 goals in four seasons is truly incredible, but winning three D9 titles and qualifying for states four times is what takes the cake as the most important accomplishments she earned in her time at Brockway.
Along the way, she was also a three-time UAVSL MVP for her standout play and was recruited from a nice collection of schools like Robert Morris, St. Bonaventure, Washington and Jefferson, Lock Haven, Pitt Greensburg, and, of course, Point Park. Going to Point Park meant gaining a great education, traveling more to play collegiate soccer, and being in the City of Champions.
“I absolutely love the city,” Britten mentioned. “My family and I both agree that I am a city girl at heart. A lot of good things have happened since I started living in the city, including meeting two of my best friends – Taylor Goldstrohm and Athena Beck. We have explored the city so much, and I even got a ball from Christian Yelich earlier this school year when he played in Pittsburgh.”
While the Jefferson County native has certainly had fun, she also admits that she and her teammates have endured six different quarantine periods since coming to campus earlier this year. Despite this, the team was able to take advantage of the opportunity to play and travel.
Though Britten has sacrificed a lot to get where she is today, so have the people around her. She was quick to mention her parents Marcy and Dave, her sister Chanice, her aunts Steph Benson and Tracy Dusch, and all of her grandparents for supporting her financially and also for coming to so many of her games no matter the distance. Britten has competed in 12 states and D.C. during her time as an athlete, and the family has taken advantage of this by turning some of these trips into vacations, as well.
Though 2020 has been a tough year, it allowed Britten to grow as a soccer player, as a young professional, and also as a person. She is likely going to make a big impact for the Point Park Pioneers women’s soccer team moving forward, but that does not scratch the surface of the potential impact she may have someday as a federal agent.
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