PELLA— "Accommodating" and "Understanding" are the two words Anya Kistenmacher (Senior, Holstein, Ridge View HS) uses to describe the leadership she has experienced at Central College. As she takes time to reflect on her four years in Pella, she attributes the development of her value of greatness to two men who work on different sides of the Central College spectrum.
           
Growing up in a musical family, Kistenmacher refers to herself as the "black sheep" due to her athletic ability. Developing a passion for sports, particularly softball, and being raised with an interest in music, Anya knew that she wanted her collegiate experience to incorporate both. Making her way around the American Rivers Conference schools with visits, she quickly felt that Central College would be able to assist her in getting the most out of both of her passions, making that goal accessible. Her initial conversations with head softball coach George Wares and Professor Mark Babcock, director of choirs, gave her nothing but support for her endeavors in both activities.
           
Both men, in Anya's words, "lead in their own ways". She experienced their different styles of striving for the same things: accountability and greatness. Both leaders, she says, pushed her time management abilities, holding her accountable for catching up on time missed because of other commitments. Recognizing Kistenmacher's dedication, they didn't hesitate to accommodate her participation in the other activity. At times, she would combine the two disciplines, singing the national anthem before softball games.
           
Recounting her favorite memories like bus rides with her teammates, being able to sing at the choir's annual Christmas Candlelight Concerts, and the 11th inning thriller win against Linfield in the NCAA Division III Softball Super Regional, Kistenmacher is grateful for the ability to make those memories, recognizing that in a less accommodating community, she would have had to miss out on something. "I really feel like I got the most out of both of my passions," she says to end our interview.
           
Kistenmacher will spend the next two years in Iowa City, in the University of Iowa's athletic training program, continuing on with her goal of becoming an athletic trainer and gaining additional certifications. Hoping to continue working around athletes and remaining artistic somehow, Anya doesn't want to say goodbye to either of her passions. Above anything else, she is grateful for the opportunities she received and the relationships she was lucky to build during her time at Central College, looking fondly on the athletic and arts departments. It is safe to say that they look fondly back at her and what she was able to accomplish .