Student Athletes commit to colleges
Every year, North has student-athletes that work to get the attention of colleges. Throughout the nation, there are even more kids looking to do the same thing.
“I would say 99 percent of the time it’s really based on grades. It’s not even all the time based on their athletic ability. Really what they’re looking for is a good risk, so they want someone who has the drive athletically and the passion athletically, and they’re a really good risk in the classroom,” said athletic director Tina Woolard
Nearly eight million students are at college playing sports or trying to make it in sports. Grayslake North claims three of those students out of that eight million. Those three students are Lauren Hansen for soccer, Grace Brown for softball, and Emily Dunne for soccer. The colleges that have accepted these girls are the University of Minnesota Duluth, MSOE (Milwaukee School of Engineering), and Carroll University.
“I will be attending Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin. I will be majoring in Healthcare Administration and have been accepted into the Doctorate of Physical Therapy program and will earn my DPT after 6 years. After college, I plan on being a physical therapist and hopefully opening up my own physical therapy clinic one day,” said senior Emily Dunne.
The process of getting a student to sign with a college is not- a quick meeting and then you’re done. But in reality, it’s a process that could happen over the course of a month or more. It’s not just the college that has to be interested in the student. It’s also the student that has to be interested in the college and what they provide.
“Soccer is also a big stress reliever for me, a way to have fun and stay in shape, and has helped me with my communication and leadership skills,” Dunne said.
Sports have been known to be a natural stress reliever. The exercise releases endorphins that act as a natural painkiller, which then relieves stress.
“My favorite thing is probably the atmosphere and the school spirit that goes into it,” said senior Grace Brown.
Brown will be attending Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) for the work she has done with her softball team. MSOE is a private university that is known for their degrees in engineering, nursing and business.
“It’s a little nerve racking, definitely. Both my parents helped me out so much with the whole process,” said senior Lauren Hansen
Hansen will be attending the University of Minnesota Duluth. The university offers 15 bachelor’s degrees with a large number of 84 majors. It has many programs in many differe
nt fields of work.
