What’s My Story?

During high school I was one with the athletes. I played every sport imaginable and was very involved with extracurricular activities. I was on the volleyball and basketball team, ran cross country and track, while also balancing being a cheerleader and dancer as well. My true passion was volleyball however. I started attending camps when I was at a young age and never stopped having a love for the game. During my senior year of high school, I was offered full ride scholarships from Kansas, Duke, Nebraska, and Kentucky Wildcats. My dream always was to be a Wildcat. Never did becoming an Ichabod cross my mind. That all changed when I visited Washburn University for a campus tour. Everyone was so friendly and the professors really seemed to truly love helping students. The first professor I met was Professor Sean Bird and he was so excited about Washburn that I wanted to start right away. All of the other campus visits seemed impersonal and like they were going through the motions. Even though I did not receive a scholarship offer for volleyball at Washburn, the more I thought about what I wanted my college experience to entail I realized that college was not all about sports. I wanted to be involved in clubs and meet new people. I wanted to be able to hang out with friends without having the added pressure to be at practice or stressing about a game. I officially decided to apply to Washburn University and was elated when I received my acceptance letter. That is how I became an Ichabod!

The best experience I have lived at Washburn University was becoming a peer educator for the First Year Experience program. I really enjoyed reaching out to incoming freshman to make sure that their first year of college was a success. Some freshman made the transition flawlessly while others did struggle. The ones that did struggle I especially focused my energy on because the First Year Experience program and I did not want to see them as another dropout. My boss also made this experience one to never forget because he was such a huge role model to me. Not only was he there to give guidance on how to handle different situations that arose with students but he was also there to give life advice as well. I look forward to seeing the students that I helped walk across the stage at graduation and knowing that I had a little part in helping with their success.

Honestly, I would not do anything over from my college experience. Looking back at all of the memories that I have had they have all been positive experiences. When I had negative experiences I always had some support system to turn to. I was lucky in the fact that I could have a support system to turn to. Not every student can say that. All of the professors have been great and really strive on helping students succeed. Walking across the stage at graduation in nine days still seems impossible to me but I will cherish all of my memories that I have made here at Washburn.