Transition and Transformation: Inside the First-Year Experience

Although Ava Lehmkuhler entered this semester with a daunting schedule of academic and athletic responsibilities, she's now just a few days away from summer break. One of the keys to her success has been the support she's received along the way.

"The first year and the first season is kind of weird, because you don't really know what to expect with the traveling and the practice and the time management. But most of my professors were accommodating, and they made it less stressful than I thought it would be. I feel really confident going into next year, knowing what to expect."

The support that Lehmkulher experienced even showed up in some especially profound ways when she lost her grandfather just a few months ago. "That broke me for a minute, but I can't even express the bounce back that I experienced. Truly, everyone was out to help me. Professors gave me extensions. Coaches gave me mental health days. Teammates got me a care basket. The people on my floor consoled me. It was a really difficult time that was met with so much love and genuine support."

As she reflects on these events and everything else she's experienced since arriving on campus back in August, Lehmkuhler is starting to see just how much she's changed.

"It sounds silly, but I feel like an adult," she says. "In college, you have total freedom to be around the people you want to be around and to be influenced by the people you want to be influenced by. It's like this beautiful thing where I can be my own individual, but I am not an individual who is alone. I get to learn alongside other individuals every day. It's this absolutely gorgeous collaboration that occurs when everyone's different perspectives and ideas come together."

After an internship this summer in her hometown, Lehmkuhler is ready to come back and apply all these things she's learned. She's looking forward to being more involved in Kappa Alpha Theta, where she serves on the recruitment committee, as well as Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

"I've seen the gradual shift from nervousness to confidence, and now I get to build on what I've created. It's a fun journey."