A Graduation of Sorts

As many of you probably saw on Facebook, I am officially done with my thesis, which concludes my Masters Degree!  I'm relieved to be done and proud that I was able to finish it in a relatively short amount of time given all that's been going on.

As a coach, I'm surrounded by young women working toward their Bachelors, figuring out what their interest is and who they are as an individual. I think it's really hard to know who you are and what you want when you are between 18-22 years old. I always tell them that who they are at 18 is dramatically different then who they'll be at 22. This has been the best part of coaching for me...watching the transformation that occurs during their time in college. So many times they remind me of the transformation I've made within the last 5 years of my life and to take it back even further, they remind me of the insecure idiot I was at 18-20ish.

Graduation can be a time of reflection and the start of a new chapter in life. When I graduated in 2008 with my Bachelors, I was driven and ready to step away from the world of being a student athlete and into the world of having a career...of some kind, anyway. There's so much pressure to know what to do post college...what jobs to apply for, to go to graduate school or to not, what to go to grad school for, where to live...how long to live with mom and dad...or how to afford rent, to travel, how to afford traveling, etc. Obviously this list could go on and varies from individual to individual. All I know is that I did not have anything figured out once I graduated, but I was determined to kick ass in whatever way I could. I knew I wanted to get my Masters, but I had no idea what I wanted it to be in. I had ideas and different interests, but nothing worth the money or time it would take to go back to school...at least not at that point in my life.

I was fortunate to get some opportunities in the health and wellness industry early on as a young and dumb college graduate with zero working experience beyond teaching swim lessons. I learned a lot through trial and error and gradually developed my identity and values within that industry. I became passionate about helping others get healthy and strong and not in the conventional way. This passion also helped fuel my individual goals for health and fitness, leading me to complete a half Ironman, various races, Crossfit and Olympic lifting. I was able to find my identity through what made me happy and I'm blessed that I get to reflect my passion through my work.

The opportunity to coach college water polo occurred when my former coach stepped down from her position and the assistant position needed to be filled. When I was approached about the possibility of being the assistant, I thought it would be a great way for me to go back to school, plus, it would be an awesome opportunity at such a young age to coach at that level. With some reservation, yet excitement, I accepted the position and was able to take a new job in the Wellness field to help balance my new coaching schedule.

This was a crazy time during my life, but now that I look back, this was also a time of graduation. I left one chapter of my life behind and began a new one. I never thought I wanted anything to do with water polo again, or at least any time soon. And now after 4 years of collegiate coaching, I've realized that I don't coach for the sake of water polo. The sport is one that I love and have a lot of respect for because it provided the basis of who I have become. However, my loyalty to coaching lies within the relationships I have developed with the girls who have come through the program and who are currently in it. Being a part of their life experiences and contributing to their life in a positive matter is why I choose to keep doing it.

I began my Masters about a year and a half ago not knowing how I was going to balance working, coaching, school, a social life and marriage....AND finding out I was pregnant. I kind of went into it blind, but knew it was a subject that I could at least be interested in and could apply to both of my career paths. It was a great decision and I feel proud that I was able to finish it while balancing a crazy work load, traveling to Australia and the Mediterranean and finishing my thesis during my third trimester. Although it took me a few years to truly figure out what I wanted to go back to school for, I'm grateful for the real life opportunities I've had that has lead me to this point in my education.

I'd like to publically thank my husband, Jared for being so supportive, even knowing that he now gets stuck with my student loans. :) He never once questioned me when I told him I wanted to go back to school. He helped me on various projects and made sure I wasn't alone in this. I also want to thank my mom for being my number one fan and constantly encouraging me to pursue my education and convincing me that I am good enough and able to do it all.

It's never too late to figure out who you are, what you are really interested in, or to change paths completely. I'm glad I'm not who I was at 18, or at 22! Life is full of graduations; when one adventure ends, and new one begins, even if you aren't completely ready for it (pregnancy, baby, holy shit!!).  Be open to change, to risk and to doing it all while you can, even if you think you can't. Writing this was therapeutic for me, so if you made it this far through, thank you!