I was very lucky to have an amazing freshman year at Longwood. I was apart of an amazing team and this contributed a lot to my academic success. Having academic and social support from my teammates, coaches, and advisors allowed me to see my potential on and off the field. Although being on the team added pressure to my college life, it made me work harder and manage my time better. Overall, it helped me become a better student and will continue to help me strive for success in the coming years. I am very proud to say I was a scholar athlete this year and will continue to strive for that every year.
This photo was taken at our athletic banquet where we received our scholar athlete awards on April 29, 2019.
The year 2019-2020 was extremely difficult for me as a student and as an athlete. I got injured in the beginning of October, 2019 suffering a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus in my knee and this led me to be on crutches for two months before leaving school to have surgery back home. Those two months were difficult getting around campus and getting to the training room to prepare my knee for surgery. I was extremely stressed and challenged during this time while also having a duty to support my teammates and be their biggest fan while on the sideline. I was determined to not let me challenges get in the way of my positive personality and support for my team. I pushed through these unfortunate circumstances and had a successful surgery at the end of the semester and even came back to campus to finish final exams just a week after my surgery. I am very proud to say that even through pain and countless challenges, I kept my academic success in mind and achieved my highest GPA (3.8) up to that point.
The winter was dedicated to my knee rehabilitation. Coming back to school for spring semester was also difficult since I was still in a knee brace and had trouble getting around campus. The start of spring semester was challenging combining my knee troubles with my need to be dedicated to my team as our season began. My injury took a toll on my mental health in the fall semester but came back with a vengeance in my spring semester. It was a challenge to come to terms that I wasn’t on the field with my best friends and my amazing teammates but I was determined (again) to be the best teammate and cheerleader I could possible be. Then everyone was challenged as COVID-19 entered our lives. Our school semester was deterred and sent to online learning while our season was cancelled without any warning. We were all devastated. Devastated that our seniors were left with no celebration. Devastated that our team was tripped of Big South competition and the chance for a championship. We were devastated and on top of it, told to leave campus and our team. This spring semester was continuously throwing challenges our way, but academic success was still of utmost importance. I kept this in mind and finished spring semester online with the highest GPA (3.95) of my undergraduate semesters. Along with a great GPA, I also participated in an online research conference, the Carolina’s Psychology Conference which was an amazing experience!