Junior
Swisher, Iowa
Why did you chose Central?
I chose Central because I fell in love with the atmosphere the moment I stepped on campus. Everyone I met was so incredibly friendly and I could tell they genuinely wanted to help me succeed. In addition, I knew I wanted to continue playing tennis and Coach Ferrell was so encouraging from the very beginning. Finally, I loved the town of Pella a whole lot and knew it was where I wanted to spend the next four years.
Favorite professor and why?
Tuan Nguyen from the Economics department is an awesome professor with a ton of knowledge and I absolutely love learning from him. He truly cares about his students, and he also happens to be the fastest email responder I’ve ever met! Tuan is hilarious and my friend Sami even has a Twitter thread with all of his best quotes.
You’re majoring in economics because?
Economics is all about how and why people make the decisions that they do. It can be applied to many different fields, from government to finance to even sports, and I like the thought of using economic principles to make sense of everyday life. In addition, I love getting to apply math and computer science in my econ classes.
Besides athletics, what else are you involved in on campus?
Besides tennis, I am involved in campus ministries leadership. I also work for the Admissions office and will be a Study Abroad ambassador for the London program next year.
Who are your go-to musical artists?
Anyone who knows me could tell you I am a huge fan of Broadway musicals. Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Next to Normal, Waitress, and Come From Away are a few of my faves! I also love Hillsong worship music, Kacey Musgraves and Dean Lewis.
What did you do for work and for fun in the summer of 2019?
I worked at Panera and served bagels all summer! It was a hoot and I loved talking to all the customers. In my free time, I played lots of tennis with my mom, caught up with old friends, and drank a ridiculous amount of iced coffee.
Would you rather live on the beach or in a cabin in the woods?
Probably a cabin in the woods. I have family in Denver and have always loved visiting them and seeing the mountains. Also I’m kind of scared of the ocean so that kind of rules that one out.
If you could bring one musician back from the dead, who would be and why?
Probably Cory Monteith, who played Finn on Glee before he passed away.
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Teammate who could win The Voice
Sarah Behrens. She is a fabulous singer and actually splits her time between tennis and the acapella choir. I can picture her getting up there and killing a Disney song!
What is the world’s best candy?
ALMOND JOY. No contest. Some of my friends are coconut haters and like to make fun of me but they really are the world’s best candy.
Favorite TV show
I can’t pick just one, but my all time favorite TV shows are Castle, Downton Abbey, and Brooklyn 99.
What’s it like to compete for Coach Ferrell?
Playing for Coach Ferrell is amazing. He knows how to keep things light and fun and he’s definitely not afraid to embarrass himself a little bit to get us to laugh! He also has a vast amount of tennis knowledge and always knows what to say during a match. Something I really appreciate about Coach is that he keeps things in perspective and helps make us better people, not just better tennis players.
What’s your favorite part about being a member of Central tennis?
Going to practice every day is such a great stress reliever. I love being able to play my favorite sport with some truly awesome teammates and just take a break from school work for a while. The relationships I have developed on the team have been a huge factor in making my Central experience so awesome.
What do you hope to be doing 10 years from now?
10 years from now I want to be living in a cool city with a cute family and a big dog, hopefully working at a job I enjoy!
Favorite food from Central Market
Chocolate chip cheesecake bars for sure- my teammate Kaysey Bos can confirm. Last semester when I was in London, she sent me a picture of them every time she had one!
Bucket list
Go watch Wimbledon
See Hamilton on Broadway
Jump out of a plane
