My Valpo journey started a bit different than most – I had never heard of the University until I was recruited for volleyball. I was at a tournament, where Head Coach Carin Avery and Assistant Coach Nick Polite reached out to me to fill out a questionnaire. The recruiting process and my relationship with Valpo’s coaches progressed, and I eventually took my first official visit to Valpo’s campus. Immediately, I knew this was the sort of place I wanted to be. I thought the campus was beautiful, I loved the team culture that Carin had created, and I knew that it was an academically rigorous school – something that I valued. I committed the summer before my junior year of high school, and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Coming into Valpo, I declared myself a biology major. I had really enjoyed my biology class in high school, and I knew I wanted to do something in the science field. From there, I learned about the research intensive concentration, which allowed me to do six semesters of research with my principal investigator (PI), Professor Jane Kenney–Hunt, Ph.D.; however, this concentration required me to either have another minor or major, so I initially tacked on a chemistry minor – it was only one more class than already required. After taking organic chemistry, however, I fell in love with the field and decided to add it as an additional major. This is a decision I am incredibly grateful for, as I not only have strengthened my knowledge in both fields but have developed relationships with faculty and peers in both of my majors that will last long beyond undergraduate school.
One of the friendships I formed through my chemistry major started in my quantitative analysis course. In this class, there were three people named Abby – me, Abby Burton ‘26, and Abbie Valicevic ‘24. We were all different years – I was a junior, Abby Burton was a sophomore, and Abbie Valicevic was a senior graduating that spring. I knew Abby Burton from other classes, and Abbie Valicevic was my resident assistant (RA) my freshman year, but we weren’t super close beyond that, but Quantitative Analysis changed that. In the lab and class, we just started chatting. It was about anything and everything… We were all involved in different things, but we had so much in common with each other. We bonded over our tough course load, outside extracurricular activities, and just about everything else. We had also all joined the Science Olympiad Committee earlier that year, so this, along with Quantitative Analysis, furthered our time spent together. We became closer than classmates, getting rides from each other and creating a group chat with the name “Ab^3”. A year has passed since taking the class together, and we are still just as close. We are all doing different things, at different stages in our lives, but still bonding over the memories we made in class and the ones we continue to make together.
Along with my course load, Valpo Volleyball has been such a joy in my undergraduate career. The culture Valpo Volleyball is built on is that we are a family, first in foremost. Throughout my four years as a Valpo Volleyball player, I have felt so welcomed, loved, and appreciated for who I am by every teammate, coach, and staff member. The coaches work to not only make you a better player, but a better person. Representing Valpo Volleyball is something I took pride in; the program has done so much for me, and embodying it in the best light possible was the least I could do in thanks. Every season was completely different from the last, in the best way possible. It was a new journey with the same and different girls, and such fun memories were made and are still treasured! The team quickly went from friends to family. This season in particular, with it being my senior season, was incredibly bittersweet. I got to enjoy it with my fellow senior and best friend, Elise Swistek ‘25, but the idea of saying goodbye to the sport I love was extremely difficult. There was no better season to send us off, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of the underclassmen. They will all achieve such wonderful things in and out of volleyball – I will forever be a Valpo Volleyball super fan!
Outside of volleyball and classes, I’ve relished being involved in other extracurriculars: Biology Club, Science Olympiad, peer tutoring/pal session leading, and research. All of these commitments, along with volleyball and academics, had added up to continuously busy semesters year after year. The support the professors, athletic department, and school have shown made it not only possible to achieve but to rather succeed – I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy all of these interests and goals at any other university. Valpo has allowed me to cultivate the best version of myself and grow in ways I couldn’t imagine. I’m so grateful for all of the relationships, memories, and growth I have been able to accomplish during my time here. When I graduate in the spring, I hope to work as a research assistant in a biology or chemistry laboratory setting, and then work to pursue my Ph.D. in a related field. Whatever the future holds for me, I know that I will forever be proud to be a Valpo alumnus and a Beacon.
