This One's for the Seniors
It is hard to comprehend with each year that quickly passes, another group of seniors will be leaving our team, Coe, and everything they have known and loved the past four years.
Although every group of seniors who eventually leave our program and school behind to pursue their greater calling in life is a bittersweet moment, for me personally, this group is different; it's more bitter than sweet.
Kelsey Fauser, Brenna Winn, and Sarah Small are the sole reason I came to Coe and fell in love with a school, place, and body of people I never even knew existed a short two years ago.
My junior and senior year of high school consisted of what my mom liked to call "The Great American College Search," where her and my dad went above and beyond to drive me, fly me, and ship me to tour and visit every single college campus available to us. Although I had stepped foot on more than a dozen campuses across the country, conversed with several soccer coaches, and interacted with a number of girls on various teams, I just did not feel as if I belonged at any of the colleges I had come across. I didn't feel at home, I didn't feel at peace, I didn't feel like I could be my outgoing and quirky self, and I sure as heck didn't feel like I could leave my family for months at a time to attend a school and be a part of a program I wasn't fully invested in...until I visited Coe.
In the Fall of my senior year my mom booked a flight to good ole Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and I was off, superstitious of potentially moving from Southern California to the middle of no where (so I thought), but excited to see what the Mid West had in store.
I met Kelsey Fauser, my overnight host and sophomore at the time, and instantly clicked with her positive vibes and charismatic attitude. In a matter of minutes, I already felt at home. Even more than that, and to my pleasant surprise, I felt at home in a location and atmosphere still foreign to me, so far from my actual home, and yet so...right. Coe just felt right.
I met the team the following day and spent my weekend by their side learning the ropes and characteristics of what it meant to be a Kohawk Women's Soccer player. I instantly clicked with the individuals in our program and around Coe's campus and knew I could be completely me, judgement-free. It was awesome.
Although I bonded with the team as a whole, Kelsey, Brenna, and Sarah were the three that stood out to me. They picked on me (yes, from literal day one they teased me), didn't put up with my "Cali nonsense," could receive what they dished out, and truly and genuinely invested the time to sit down and get to know me- something other programs, other teams, other schools, and other students didn't care to do. Those three individuals were, and still are, the most genuine people I had ever met.
Kelsey, Brenna, and Sarah made me feel as if I had already known them for decades and could easily slide right into the team, without missing a beat. Although I am a talkative and outgoing individual, I can be quiet and awkward in new environments, but those three eased and erased every microscopic ounce of that.
When my visit was complete and I headed back home, I knew I loved Coe, but wasn't ready to fully commit. Why rush what's destined, right? So, I continued my senior year the same as usual, but something was different; something was off. I missed Coe. I missed a place I had only visited for two days, people I had only known briefly, and an environment I hadn't even fully invested my heart into yet. I missed Kelsey and Brenna and Sarah. I missed the team. I missed Coach. I missed Coe's orange trees and happy squirrels. I missed the buzz and upbeat campus life. I missed Coe's students and staff and surroundings. This city girl missed the one and only Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Coach would call me weekly and tell me how much Kelsey, Brenna, and Sarah asked about when I was committing or when I knew I would go to Coe or how much longer it would take me to send my "yes" letter in the mail. Kelsey, Brenna, and Sarah spammed me on social media, commented on everything "#GOTOCOE," and texted me often. People I barely knew and had only met for a short period of time cared about me, my college choice, and my four-year experience, and they weren't afraid to show it.
That's when I knew. No other schools, potential teammates, or coaches were quite as persistent or invested in my college choice. No other programs reached out to me as positively as Coe had. And no other individuals deeply impacted my life, my heart, and my soul in such a short amount of time as the three people I have to say goodbye to at the end of this year.
Although I am sad to eventually part ways, I am excited to soak up all of the wisdom, memories, advice, and fun Kelsey, Brenna, and Sarah have to offer in their last year at Coe.
To get their take on their final year and last first day of school (August 24), I asked our three seniors for some of their thoughts regarding the countdown of their collegiate career and this is what they had to say:
Although every group of seniors who eventually leave our program and school behind to pursue their greater calling in life is a bittersweet moment, for me personally, this group is different; it's more bitter than sweet.
Kelsey Fauser, Brenna Winn, and Sarah Small are the sole reason I came to Coe and fell in love with a school, place, and body of people I never even knew existed a short two years ago.
My junior and senior year of high school consisted of what my mom liked to call "The Great American College Search," where her and my dad went above and beyond to drive me, fly me, and ship me to tour and visit every single college campus available to us. Although I had stepped foot on more than a dozen campuses across the country, conversed with several soccer coaches, and interacted with a number of girls on various teams, I just did not feel as if I belonged at any of the colleges I had come across. I didn't feel at home, I didn't feel at peace, I didn't feel like I could be my outgoing and quirky self, and I sure as heck didn't feel like I could leave my family for months at a time to attend a school and be a part of a program I wasn't fully invested in...until I visited Coe.
In the Fall of my senior year my mom booked a flight to good ole Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and I was off, superstitious of potentially moving from Southern California to the middle of no where (so I thought), but excited to see what the Mid West had in store.
I met Kelsey Fauser, my overnight host and sophomore at the time, and instantly clicked with her positive vibes and charismatic attitude. In a matter of minutes, I already felt at home. Even more than that, and to my pleasant surprise, I felt at home in a location and atmosphere still foreign to me, so far from my actual home, and yet so...right. Coe just felt right.
I met the team the following day and spent my weekend by their side learning the ropes and characteristics of what it meant to be a Kohawk Women's Soccer player. I instantly clicked with the individuals in our program and around Coe's campus and knew I could be completely me, judgement-free. It was awesome.
Although I bonded with the team as a whole, Kelsey, Brenna, and Sarah were the three that stood out to me. They picked on me (yes, from literal day one they teased me), didn't put up with my "Cali nonsense," could receive what they dished out, and truly and genuinely invested the time to sit down and get to know me- something other programs, other teams, other schools, and other students didn't care to do. Those three individuals were, and still are, the most genuine people I had ever met.
Kelsey, Brenna, and Sarah made me feel as if I had already known them for decades and could easily slide right into the team, without missing a beat. Although I am a talkative and outgoing individual, I can be quiet and awkward in new environments, but those three eased and erased every microscopic ounce of that.
When my visit was complete and I headed back home, I knew I loved Coe, but wasn't ready to fully commit. Why rush what's destined, right? So, I continued my senior year the same as usual, but something was different; something was off. I missed Coe. I missed a place I had only visited for two days, people I had only known briefly, and an environment I hadn't even fully invested my heart into yet. I missed Kelsey and Brenna and Sarah. I missed the team. I missed Coach. I missed Coe's orange trees and happy squirrels. I missed the buzz and upbeat campus life. I missed Coe's students and staff and surroundings. This city girl missed the one and only Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Coach would call me weekly and tell me how much Kelsey, Brenna, and Sarah asked about when I was committing or when I knew I would go to Coe or how much longer it would take me to send my "yes" letter in the mail. Kelsey, Brenna, and Sarah spammed me on social media, commented on everything "#GOTOCOE," and texted me often. People I barely knew and had only met for a short period of time cared about me, my college choice, and my four-year experience, and they weren't afraid to show it.
That's when I knew. No other schools, potential teammates, or coaches were quite as persistent or invested in my college choice. No other programs reached out to me as positively as Coe had. And no other individuals deeply impacted my life, my heart, and my soul in such a short amount of time as the three people I have to say goodbye to at the end of this year.
Although I am sad to eventually part ways, I am excited to soak up all of the wisdom, memories, advice, and fun Kelsey, Brenna, and Sarah have to offer in their last year at Coe.
To get their take on their final year and last first day of school (August 24), I asked our three seniors for some of their thoughts regarding the countdown of their collegiate career and this is what they had to say:
- What is one life lesson (serious or not) you've learned throughout your college years? "Always find the silver lining in everything. It's easy in college to have the stress of coursework, personal, and social life build up on you but if you try to find good in everything, you'll see how truly amazing your life is!"
- What is the best advice you could give to someone just beginning college? "Haha! Oh boy! Don't feed the squirrels too much? Haha, no! I'd have to say, "If it's meant to be, it's up to me." I wanted to do all these things while at Coe, but thought soccer and my studies would eat away at my time, leaving little [time] for extracurricular items. Then, my brother told me that quote and I have lived by it since. If I want to do something or make a difference, it's up to me to make it happen. My teammates, friends, family (and all of Kohawk Nation) will be walking beside me, but ultimately it's up to me to chase my dreams."
- Do you actually feel like a senior in college? "Absolutely! The other day I bought a cane so people respected my senior status! Haha but on the real, not at all. At practices I keep looking at the entrance [of the field] for last years' seniors to be running in late or when I walk across campus, I search for graduated people... Gosh, that sounds sad, eh?"
- What is the best advice you could give to someone just beginning college? "Say 'no' as few times as possible. You only have four years of an undergrad, live it up."
- What is one life lesson (serious or not) you've learned throughout your college years? "The power of just being nice. Just being nice to literally everyone you meet (friends, classmates, professors, staff, etc.) can make a huge difference in your life."
- Do you actually feel like a senior in college? "Hahahaha. I think so? Ask my mom and dad that question, I'm sure they have a better response."
- What does officially being a senior mean to you? "Officially being a senior to me means that I am almost onto a new chapter in my life. I have put in all the hard work in school for the past 16 years, and now it is time for [the hard work] to finally pay off. It's scary to be so close to the 'real world,' but also pretty exciting!"
- What are you most looking forward to in your last year? "I am most looking forward creating more memories with my friends and making the most out of this last year of college."
- Do you actually feel like a senior in college? "NOT AT ALL. I feel like I should still be in kindergarten. I take naps and snack like I still am. It all went by too quickly."