Athlete spotlight

By Desiree M. Cooper

Julian Roberts has an exciting senior year ahead of him. The Eastern New Mexico University soccer star is working hard to help his team qualify for the NCAA tournament.

With four matches left in the regular season, he realizes every game is important.

julian Athlete by CooperRoberts has spent a lot of time with his teammates in his three years at ENMU, and they have created many good memories from playing soccer together.

“In my first game against West Texas, I got the game-winning assist,” Roberts said.

Family is important to Roberts; he has a 4-year-old son named Xavier, and another son due Jan. 8, 2014. He will name him Ezera Lee Roberts.

The 22-year-old Roberts is preparing for his career with a double major in Criminal Justice and Psychology.

In five years, Roberts’s dream job is to “be a probation officer in Albuquerque, N.M., or Austin, Texas.”

Roberts enjoys sushi and BBQ burgers, and he also likes to eat at Dakota’s Steakhouse and Pat’s.

Roberts was born in Italy. His family moved when he was a one-and-a-half-years old, and they only visited the country again when he was 3, so he does not remember much about it.

While he may not remember Italy, Roberts still can cook Italian food.

“I can cook some good chicken Parmesan,” he said.

Some of Robert’s favorite TV shows are Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, New Girl, and The Office. His top picks for movies are Gladiator and Silver Linings Playbook.

Roberts listens to an interesting assortment of music. The underground hip-hop fan’s favorite song is Talib Kweli’s “Never Been in Love.” When he’s not listening to his band of choice, A Tribe Called Quest, Roberts’ partakes in R&B.

“I love R&B, the old-school stuff,” Roberts said.

Roberts spends his free time playing video games, including FIFA ’14 and Grand Theft Auto V.

His favorite theme park is Islands of Adventures, which is part of Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. He likes the park’s roller coasters, especially “The Hulk” and “Dueling Dragons.”

“Those rides are sick,” he said.