Diego Real earned accolades for his work training young soldiers during his six-year stint as a Training Sergeant for the U.S. Army. In fact, many of his peers encouraged him to become a coach when he retired from the service.

The United States Sports Academy’s latest Student of the Month, Real followed the advice from his peers and is pursuing a Bachelor of Sports Science degree in sports coaching from the institution. A native of Mexico and Iowa resident, Real hopes to use his Academy degree to become a soccer coach and aide the growth of the sport in the United States.

“I would like to teach committed young people the skills I learned at the soccer academies in Mexico and other countries in order to improve the soccer culture in the United States,” Real said. “I believe the United States Sports Academy is going to help me to develop skills in regards to professional coaching.”

Real said he only has two more semesters left to finish his bachelor’s degree. After that, he hopes to continue his studies with the Academy by pursuing his master’s degree through the institution.

“I really love the online learning model offered by the Academy. My only complaint is that I did not find out about the Academy sooner. Every professor I’ve had has been helpful, and I do feel like the Academy is giving me a well-rounded, balanced education. I particularly enjoyed the sports marketing course. There is so much more that goes into the profession of sport that I did not know about before my education at the Academy.”