Loyal UO Women’s Soccer fans know her well. From 2016-2019, Alyssa Hinojosa anchored the ducks’ defense at center back, starting in nearly every one of her 75 career games and accumulating an astounding 6,500 minutes of play. Today, she remains a cherished member of the UO family, but in a new role: Communications Specialist for the School of Music and Dance (SOMD).
Alyssa assists a photographer in an SOMD promo shoot
As an integral member of the four-person communications department in the SOMD, she credits soccer for where she is in her career. “Soccer got me here!” she said. “I owe everything to soccer.”
Her eventual journey to the SOMD kicked off at 5 years old when she played for her local club soccer team in the San Fernando Valley, California. Raised by a single mother alongside her twin brother, Anthony, Alyssa was determined to be the first person in her family to go to college, and soccer helped her get there. “I wanted to make my mom and dad proud,” she Alyssa said. “I also wanted to show my younger cousins that they can do it too. It wasn’t something I considered. It was something I had to do.”
Alyssa poses with her dad, Anthony V Hinojosa, her mom, Monica Lopez, and her twin brother, Anthony J Hinojosa
She put in the work on and off the field, attending showcases and tournaments, emailing her impressive club soccer resume to college coaches, and training with her regional Olympic Development Program. She eventually caught the eyes of her future coaches: Kat Mertz and Manny Martins. After a series of conversations about being a Duck, they invited her to join the team. “When I committed to Oregon it didn’t feel real!” she recalled.
Alyssa plays game for LA Premier FC
In 2016, she landed in Eugene. “I missed home, but I had my soccer and school family,” she remembered. “The community here made me feel supported and safe.” Whether that support came from her teammates cheering her on, or young girls asking for her signature, she started to weave herself into the fabric that is the University of Oregon. “Being a Division I athlete was very hard, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” she said. “It was the best four years of my life. It was the reward for all the hard work I put in since I was 5 years old.”
Throughout those four years, she not only excelled on the field but also assumed leadership roles on the team, held various internships, and traveled to Uganda for community service work. After graduating with her bachelor’s in planning, public policy and management, she continued her studies and earned her master’s in advertising and brand responsibility.
Alyssa poses with Ugandan women
The start of her professional life occurred in her junior year when she first dipped her toe into the world of communications as an intern for University Communications. The connections she established there later led to her current SOMD role as Communications Specialist. In this position she manages the website and social media channels, produces weekly newsletters and concert programs, and maintains SOMD’s events calendar. She also serves on the Committee for Equity and Inclusion.
“Alyssa is everything you’d want in a teammate,” Josh Gren, Alyssa’s supervisor and SOMD’s Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications. “She’s dedicated, hard-working, an amazing collaborator, and a constant source of positive energy. I’ve been so lucky to work with Alyssa for more than two years and I can’t imagine doing this job without her.”
Two years into her job, she reflects back on her time here in Eugene and how it has been life changing. "My experiences at UO have been nothing short of fulfilling in my life and my family’s life,” she said. “I am so lucky to still be here and give back to a community that helped me in every way possible.”
Alyssa coaching the Springfield HS women’s soccer team
Meanwhile, soccer is still very much a part of her life. Last year, she was the assistant women’s soccer coach at Springfield High School, and this year, was promoted to head coach. “Soccer will never not be a big part of my life!” Alyssa said. She loves giving back to the soccer community by coaching at the high school level, and one day you may even see her on the sidelines at a college or university like UO!