Class of 2008

Hometown: Mount Airy, MD

Interests & Activities: Soccer Team, Writing.

Finals Week!
Every college student you talk to will tell you that December is one of the best and worst months of college. It’s the best because winter break is coming and you’re looking forward to classes ending and going home. It’s the worst because you can’t go home until FINALS WEEK is over. My week seemed like it lasted forever! I had one exam on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, then two on Friday. Like most of the other kids at the Mount, I spent most of my nights in the library reviewing all my notes and rereading the textbook. On Friday, I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open to take my exam! But in the end it paid off and I did well on my exams. You can bet I was very happy to go home on Friday.

Since exams took so much out of us, my roommate Jen and I decided to take a road trip to Connecticut the week after school let out. Her brother goes to the University of Hartford, so we stayed with him for three nights and watched him play basketball. The day after we arrived at U of H, we drove down to New York City for the day. We did some shopping and explored the city; New York is beautiful in the winter! The trip was a great change of pace from the stresses of finals week and something we plan on doing again very soon. Merry Christmas everyone, see you in January!

Busy November
This month has been crazy! I had surgery to repair my anterior collateral ligament in my left knee; an injury I received on September 30 playing soccer. The surgery left me on crutches for a few days and in a straight leg brace for about a week. Since then it has been all about rehabilitation and physical therapy. Now I’m able to walk normally and I’ll be back on the field in a few months! The worst part about the surgery was missing school. I was out for about a week for the surgery plus I frequently have to miss classes for doctor’s appointments. All my teachers have been really supportive and understanding of my situation though. They have allowed me some extensions on assignments and the opportunity to take tests early when I know I’m going to be out. Everyone here at the Mount has been very understanding toward my injury and surgery. Thanks to their support, I’m able to manage my time in and out of the classroom and I’m quickly recovering!

Since surgery dampened the month a bit, I jumped at the chance to be able to get off campus for awhile and watch our Women’s Soccer Team Chaplain, Nick Hennemann, run the JFK 50-mile marathon. The race started in Hagerstown, MD and continued throughout MD and WV. My two friends and I were able to be Nick’s “crew”. This means that we met him along the way and gave him food/energy drinks/clothes and shoes/ etc. Nick’s job as team Chaplain is to support us on and off the field and be a positive reinforcement to the players. It was great to be able to support him and cheer him on just as he has done for us all season. Great job Nick!!

Soccer!
One of the major reasons for choosing the Mount was the opportunity to play Division I soccer. Coach Wood offered me a partial athletic scholarship, which I accepted in the spring of my senior year of high school. From that point on, much of my life revolved around getting into and staying in shape for the start of the season.

Preseason started in mid-August 15, two weeks before the start of classes. During this time we practiced at least twice a day in preparation for the fall season. The entire team was exhausted by the end of those two weeks, but it was very rewarding when all the training paid off in the games. After preseason, we practiced six days a week. On weekdays, we practiced in the late afternoon, after classes were finished for the day. Between classes, homework, and soccer, I didn’t have much free time to hang out. But if you ask any of the athletes, they’ll tell you that staying busy allows you to stay focused on your goals and work to get everything accomplished.

At first, it was hard to balance school and soccer, but I soon learned to manage my time and settle into the routine. Being on the soccer team has been my favorite part of college. The women on the team are some of my best friends. We spend a lot of time together off the field and share many similar interests. It was also great to walk into classes on the first day of school my freshman year and know at least one face! Soccer is a huge part of who I am and why I’m at the Mount.