From soccer to engineering, 2026 grad Angello Karadzhinov embraces many roles in UAH family

From the soccer field to the classroom and all around The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) campus, Angello Karadzhinov has played active roles in the Charger family over the last four years. He will receive his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from UAH on May 4, 2026, during commencement ceremonies at the Von Braun Center Propst Arena.

Ann Marie Martin | UAH

Angel Rumenov Karadzhinov – just call him Angello, everyone does – found a new home at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) after moving from Blackpool, England, to play soccer in the U.S.

Four years of athletic and academic adventures and achievements later, Angello is an integral part of the UAH family with many roles: soccer player, volunteer coach, scholar, peer mentor, teaching assistant, UAH Lancer and more.

On May 4 he will conclude his current chapter when UAH awards him a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering during commencement ceremonies at the Von Braun Center. To make the story even sweeter, he’ll be able to introduce his parents to his Charger kin.

“My family are coming for the first time for graduation. They are so excited to meet everyone I’ve made friends with, and I’m so excited to show them everywhere I’ve been the last four years of my life. I really fell in love with this place.”

Angello’s planned a busy itinerary: about 10 days around Huntsville, then Nashville for all the museums and history, then on to the beach in the Florida panhandle. There’s also one special local landmark he’s been saving.

“We’re going to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. I’ve actually never been because I’ve always wanted to go with them.”

Angello’s highway to the Charger zone began back in England with the end of a dream. He was on a professional soccer track until age 16 when he didn’t get a contract to stay in the club. He admits he was “down in the dumps,” but he never stays down. He’d always enjoyed school, so he and his parents explored U.S. options that combined athletics and academics in a competitive environment.

Angello was close to committing to an Oklahoma school when John Carrier, head coach of Chargers’ men’s soccer, reached out. They scheduled a call for the next day, and Angello researched UAH.

“I was like, this place looks picture perfect! If he offers me something great, I can’t turn it down.”

Two things stood out: NCAA Division II standing and its impressive engineering program.

“My granddad was an engineer, and I’ve always been good at math and physics. I knew I wanted to go into engineering. I picked aerospace because ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ came out about two months before I came to the U.S. Let me learn how to build those real cool, fast planes!”

Between soccer and engineering, plus various jobs and extracurricular activities, Angello calls his time at UAH “the fastest four years of my life.” Describing his Charger experience, he reveals how much he thrives under pressure.

Take soccer season: “This brutal cycle of practice, weights, game Friday, day off Saturday, game Sunday, repeating for 12 weeks, but it’s so fun!”

Each year has seen steady team progress.

“Our first year was tough. We didn’t achieve the goals we wanted to. Then this past year, we got to the final four of our tournament, and the team we lost to ended up getting to the Elite Eight of the national tournament.”

And he met personal goals.

“I’ve played a lot every year. I was captain since my sophomore year, and I’ve loved having that sort of leadership role and, whether I was playing or not, just always being a positive voice.”

Friends are the best part.

“Everyone is such good friends with every player on the team, whether you’re a fifth-year senior or a new freshman. You have people from all walks of life, whether they’re from Alabama or a different part in America, or they’re from South America or anywhere else in Europe. It’s just amazing to see all these cultures mixing together. I can’t speak highly enough of the program and UAH as an athletics department!”

UAH Athletics appreciates Angello, too. For the third year in a row, he was named male Charger of the Year on April 23. The annual award “encompasses all of what being a Charger student-athlete is about. Ethical conduct, sportsmanship, diversity, equity, academics and athletics. This person is active on campus and in the community. This individual may not be the best performer or have a 4.0, but this person is an integral part of what makes your team successful and who is a model for their peers.”

Angello did earn the grades to be part of Athletics’ annual 4.0 Night recognition of academic achievements. Those grades also fueled his aerospace engineering major; he’s a member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and the aerospace engineering honor society Sigma Gamma Tau.

Soccer may have landed Angello at UAH, but aerospace engineering is where he plans to soar.

“I fell in love more with the academic side as my time’s progressed here. I had a big turning point last spring when I took compressible flow with Dr. Charles Lind. That’s been my most enjoyable class, and I excelled in it. He’s been a great help for me and a big reason why I want to stay in academia for a little bit longer.”

This dream is already coming true. On April 23, Angello was notified that he’s been accepted into the Ph.D. program in aerospace engineering at The University of Alabama (UA).

As a UAH alumnus, Angello will always be part of the Charger family. And since UAH and UA are both part of The University of Alabama System, his graduate studies will keep him in the extended family.

Congrats, Angello! Go, Chargers! And Roll Tide!