Edgardo Leiva (D.D.S. ’23) rose through the competitive ranks of soccer, playing for the Honduran National Team and also playing college soccer in the U.S. While he was a dental student, he formed a soccer training company, Soccer Roots, employing many of his classmates. Leiva explained what inspired him to start the endeavor.

Q: How did your soccer career begin?
A: I started playing competitively when I was 12 or 13, eventually participating in the developmental program for the Honduran national team. But the situation in Honduras became too difficult for my family, so my mom brought us to Miami, where my grandmother was living.

Q: How have your fellow dentistry students helped with Soccer Roots?
A: On weekends, I would coach 15 games, but it was getting out of hand. I was meeting dentistry students who had soccer experience. I thought, what better people to coach these kids than my friends in the dental school? I’ve had as many as 14 coaches on my payroll, with eight being dentistry classmates.

Q: How has soccer shaped you?
A: I’m so grateful to soccer because I would not be where I am now. It provided me a pathway to becoming a dentist by molding my character. It taught me discipline, responsibility and how to work hard. I owe soccer a lot, and I’ll always be involved in the sport.

Q: What can you take from soccer that will help you as a dentist?
A: Dentistry is basically coaching. We coach our patients to keep good oral hygiene and teach them the skills to achieve that.

Q: Do you have any plans to incorporate soccer into your dentistry career?
A: I’m coordinating with the pediatrics department at the UMKC School of Dentistry to offer free soccer camps. One of the rotations is going to be an oral health screening. Ultimately, I would like something that connects my two passions while making an impact on the next generation.