For Courtney Carter, sports are life.

“It's like motivating and really helps you getting to school every day because you know, you have to go to practice, you have to go to games,” Carter said. “You meet a ton of different people because everyone does different sports, different coaches, everyone has different ideas about things. It's great.”

She’s a star on the field for Phoenix High School. But she’s a winner in the classroom, too, ranking in the top 10 of her class of more than 100 people.

When she’s not in school, you can find her giving back to her community through various organizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army.

“You have to get your face out there. You have to people know your name just from sports,” Carter said. “So it's good to like have other kids look up to you and be a leader for the school to hopefully one day make us be a big name.”

Through it all, she credits her older brother Jacob as the biggest reason for her success.

“When he was younger, he was very energetic, as any young boy is,” she said. “And so he was always bugging me to go play with him, and now he's kind of more relaxed as [he’s] older. But I'm always bugging him now and making him go play with me and all that stuff. But … I wouldn't want it any other way.

“He's like my training partner. He's the one that goes with me all the time and he never tells you when you're doing bad. That's for sure. So he lets you know how you're doing.”

Carter’s successes, both on and off the field with the help of her brother, will lead her to Rider University, where she will continue her soccer career at the NCAA Division I level.

“It's so exciting because it's the highest level,” Carter said. “I mean, you couldn't go any higher for collegiate [soccer]. You get to meet new people, get in a different area.”