Husky Talk- Erika Higgins

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Erika Higgins joins Husky Talk, as a loyal follower of our podcast, she was very much a part of UConn Football and offers a different perspective from her experience. She has been an amazing friend, and I was looking forward to having her on.

Erika grew up in Orange, Connecticut, in a family who loved the Huskies very much. She played basketball and excelled at Volleyball in high school.

Applying to college, she was accepted at UConn, but a clerical error had her at our Avery Point campus. Thankfully, her guidance counselor called and cleared things up to make sure she was attending in Storrs.

Erika has an outstanding work ethic and got involved working in the equipment room for the legendary Larry Hare and Chris Stasaitis, both avid listeners. Quickly, she became a member of our football family and spent time with us off the field.

It's a tough job working behind the cage, washing clothes, providing equipment to players and being close to our locker room where chaos may ensue, or might not smell like roses. Erika also worked with other teams like hockey, she loves Larry and Chris for helping her out.

Erika and her family never missed home games, she traveled to as many away games as she could, including hitting the road to places like Boston College, Akron, and Buffalo to name a few.

After college, she worked 6 jobs, always staying busy. Meeting her husband was unexpected and a hilarious story. They married after 3 years of dating at a beautiful venue.

She became a mom to Owen and switched career paths working in the health care industry, including spending a lot of time in Hospice, where she shares a beautiful story. Recently she took a new job with a start-up company working as a Director/Supervisor.

We talk about being a mom and parenting as she had two more children. Owen is 15, she also has a 13- and 6-year-old, all active in sports. Having a career, along with a very busy household, she and her husband do a fantastic job making it all work.

Erika and I discuss the challenges facing kids playing sports. Parents with unrealistic expectations that add pressure, allowing children to fail, bullying and more.

Sadly, she lost her father recently and he was extremely close to her. He was a huge UConn fan, proud of Erika and his grandchildren. She credited our UConn family for helping her through a tragic time, especially Uyi Osunde and Chris Stasaitis.

Erika has been a wonderful friend to me after we reconnected two years ago, and I met her husband who is a saint. Erika never hesitated when I was struggling, she was ready to drive 3 hours at night to make sure I was safe. She will do anything for people, I appreciate how supportive she is and always lets me know she cares.