At Goshen College, we strive to create champions in competition, in the classroom and in the community. While many of the stories we tell on this website have to do with contests, we also know that our student-athletes will be members of society long after they hang up their uniform for the last time. Alumni Friday is a weekly series that will catch up with some Goshen College alumni to reflect on where their experience in the Maple City has taken them.

Petrana Petkova '07 was a physical education major from Bulgaria. She won a pair of national championships at GC, topping the NAIA in the indoor 5,000 meters and the outdoor 10,000 meters in 2007.

What have you been up to since graduating?
I finished my BA in 2007 and a year after that, I welcomed a baby girl into my family—Kristina.

From 2008-2010 I worked as a Sports Performance Trainer with the FC Indiana women's soccer team. In 2010, Kristina and I moved to Bourbonville, Kentucky, so I could serve as an assistant coach for Union College's track and field team and work on my master's degree in physical education and Health.

I returned to Goshen in 2012 as an assistant coach for the Goshen College track and field team for men and women till 2015. At that moment, I worked at ADEC providing direct support to a client who goes to the indoor track at Goshen College for a walk/run every morning. While he walks, I run. We had built a relationship during our years working together with him and his parents, nowadays we get together for a cup of coffee to catch up.

Once the pandemic started, ADEC stopped providing service for one-on-one with clients and I started work at a residential group home as a medflex. Most of my free time is spent with my daughter, who is 12 years old now and has also taken an interest in running. We practice together and push each other. My hope is that she will continue to do what she loves and follow her dreams.

What do you miss the most about Goshen?
I actually never left Goshen, and only went away for two years to study for my masters. My daughter and I live near the Goshen Boys and Girls Club. I have friends here and I like the area. I feel safe and welcomed. I have my coaches here Rick Clark and Doug Yoder. As a small city, Goshen has so much to offer. We runners need parks. Goshen has the beautiful Pumpkinvine Nature Trail park, Ox Bow park, Bonneyville Mill, the track at Goshen College, and soccer fields.

What advice do you have for current student-athletes?
You're the only one putting limits on yourself. Hard work, determination and consistency are all you need — believe you are capable and then do the work. Never give up.

To participate in Alumni Friday, contact your program's head coach.