I have given back to my community in many ways through both non-profit organizations and volunteer service, but I am going to highlight my non-profit work. For the past five years, I have held a bake sale to raise money for Hope’s Closet. Hope’s Closet is a non-profit organization in Louisville, Kentucky, that provides clothing and other necessities for foster families and foster kids of all ages in the area. Each year, I have raised around $200 and use this money to purchase many of the much-needed necessities like toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, coats, shoes, and other various clothing items, or donate the money directly to Hope’s Closet so they can buy items whenever they need them. This past year, I began my first semester of college at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Since I am so far from home it is a lot harder to run a bake sale, but I have found other ways to volunteer and help out different organizations. I am a student athlete at Babson College, playing field hockey. Before college, I volunteered at a nearby middle school to help coach both the JV and Varsity teams, and at the local YMCA as a coach to support younger field hockey players. While at college, through my team, we have volunteered with a local school, helping to teach children various skills at clinics on weekends. I was able to volunteer during one of the weekends and before one of our games, and I will hopefully be able to continue helping more in that community. Additionally, during each break that I have been home from college, I have continued my work volunteering at the food pantry. During the summer, I started helping out at the food pantry every Monday for around two hours, doing different things like organizing back stock and stocking the shelves for the next day's shoppers. I plan to continue to help out each Monday that I am home and carry that into the summer time. I will also begin to do my bake sales for Hope’s Closet in the summertime to allow myself more time to bake and purchase the needed necessities for the organization. Through my volunteer work in the community and for non-profits, I have realized the importance of giving back and giving my time to the people who need it most. It helps create a stronger community by addressing essential needs quickly that would otherwise go undone, and helps foster stronger social connections by uniting people with the same drive to help those in need. I am excited to continue my volunteer work in each community I am a part of and continue to help those in need.

I first started my field hockey career at my local YMCA and absolutely fell in love with the sport. As I continued to develop my career, I always found myself returning to the YMCA where it all started. From pick-up leagues for school to clinics, one thing remained the same: the countless hardworking volunteers. When I entered high school, I knew I wanted to give back to the programs that truly helped form me into the athlete I am. My freshman year, I began volunteering for the middle school field hockey team in the fall and for a YMCA pick-up league in the winter. For the middle school team, I would go to practices, which were three days a week, and work with the JV team and teach them how to do basic skills like shooting, passing, pulling, and other various stick skills. For the YMCA, I was an assistant coach for a pick-up team in the winter. We would occasionally have practices, but would play a game every Sunday. As an assistant, I would help the head coach with subbing and also talk to the girls on the sidelines about what was happening during the game and give them each feedback on their play. I was really trying to create the same fun environment I had when I first started playing that allowed me to fall in love with the sport. During my sophomore year, I continued to help out at the middle school, but I also started to volunteer with tryouts and the Varsity team. I also continued to volunteer at the YMCA, but this time as a head coach. The head coaching role allowed me to form deeper connections with each of my players and create a fun yet competitive environment for them to thrive in. Not only did I continue to volunteer in the winter, but I started to coach in the spring as well. During the spring, we would have an hour long practice 1 to 2 days a week and have a game on either Saturday or Sunday. At practices, I would teach the players about strong defensive skills like jabbing, channeling, and tackling. During my junior year, I continued to help out at both the middle school and at the YMCA in the winter and spring. Before my senior year, I worked with a few more players from my high school to host a clinic to raise money for my high school's team. We ran a 1-day clinic for grades K-8th. The clinic had 6 rotations with a different skill set taught at each, followed by a scrimmage at the end. I also continued to help out at the middle school and YMCA, but began to volunteer at my club, coaching the U-14 age group. I would coach hour-and-a-half practices twice a week. After graduating this past year, I wanted to give back to another program that helped shape me, my high school team. During the summer, I would go to each practice and work with the players to again create a positive impact on their experience and time as a field hockey player and student-athlete. I am currently still a student-athlete playing field hockey at Babson College and am continuing to make a positive impact on both communities through volunteer coaching. I want to continue to create the positive experience I was given by the countless coaches and volunteers I had, to hopefully impact another player to keep going and working towards their goals as an athlete.

Playing the sport field hockey while also balancing school and life has allowed me to become a stronger leader and a harder worker in the world of male dominance. It has been proven that when a woman plays a sport it helps her grow self-confidence, teamwork skills, problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and leadership skills. In a very male dominated world it is important for women to have these skills because it can help challenge the typical gender stereotypes and show that women can excel in many different fields, not just the feminine ones. Women who play sports are more equipped and more confident to take on a leadership role in their workplace, allowing them to take charge and not let men boss them around. This role sports play in a woman’s life is extremely important because the more women who become stronger leaders on the field will grow to become even stronger leaders in the workplace helping break gender stereotypes. In my personal experience taking charge on the field has helped me take charge in many other situations. On the field hockey team I have been elected captain twice but I didn’t need the title of captain to help push me as a leader. Being able to gather a group of players to fight for the same goals of winning a game, scoring a goal, defending a corner, or even connecting passes is such a valuable skill off the field as well. With more people looking up to me as a mentor and a leader my self-confidence grew and allowed me to be a leader even when I didn’t know the people I was working with. Additionally, playing sports has pushed me to become a harder worker. On my club team I have faced adversity due to the school I go to. Public school teams aren’t viewed as being as strong as private school teams and many times those who go to public school are overlooked. In order to overcome this adversity I pushed myself off the field and trained when nobody was watching. Practicing skills, going on runs, and working on my shot to help myself get moved up to a better team, and in the end it paid off. This experience has shown me that if you aren't acknowledged for the skills you already have, don't give up on yourself and instead work harder than those around you, especially when nobody is watching, to make yourself standout. Balancing both a sport and school has strengthened both of these skills. Being a student athlete allows you to push yourself in the classroom and on a field while also working under stressful situations. Throughout my time as a student athlete I have had to study for hard exams or complete a challenging assignment all while going to practices or games after school. This has not only helped me improve my time management but also learn how to manage multiple tasks at once in high pressure situations. The two skills of leadership and hard work have really pushed me to become a stronger woman in the world of male dominance. The valuable lessons both skills have taught me will allow me to take charge in situations, even if I don’t know the people I am working with, and allow me to work harder than those around me instead of giving up after the first try or if someone doesn’t recognize the work I put in the first time.

My name is Brooke Willey, and I will be graduating from North Oldham High School in 2025. In the fall, I will be attending Babson College to earn a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in accounting and finance. How did I choose a college nearly 1,000 miles from home? Field hockey. After moving to Kentucky from Massachusetts, I began playing field hockey. I instantly fell in love with the game as it allowed me to be an ambitious leader and make friends. After playing for three years, I decided to pursue my passion at the collegiate level, so I joined a club team to further my skill level and prepare me for playing in college. Our team traveled to tournaments in Missouri, Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio regularly. Besides playing field hockey at an advanced level, I got to travel the US and explore the outdoors in areas I had never seen. Plus, the more time I spent on the playing fields and at parks during our travels, the more I came to realize how spending time outdoors influenced my perspective and mood. It also became the place where I could strive for ambitious goals and pursue my passions. Some of my favorite outdoor activities, such as reading in a park, going on a hike, relaxing on the beach, or running a trail, help me relax and reset. One of my most memorable outdoor experiences occurred while snorkeling in the Bahamas. I had never seen water as crystal clear blue or coral reef as vibrantly colored. It was an amazing, awe-inspiring natural experience, one that introduced me to life in nature vastly different from life on land. I underwent another formidable outdoor experience when visiting the Grand Canyon. Are there words that can truly capture the essence of wonder when first glimpsing the canyon’s majestic beauty? As I hiked the canyon, I absorbed the grandeur of nature and felt a peacefulness that was unlike my other experiences outdoors. While running the field hockey turf, I feel powerful and in control; while exploring life in nature’s waters, I’m filled with curiosity; while surveying the canyon’s majesty, I feel insignificant yet peaceful. Nature’s diversity is nothing less than spectacular. After these experiences, I’m excited to explore more of what the great outdoors has to offer. Although traveling to new places gives me the opportunity to explore aspects of the outdoors, a simple walk or run in my neighborhood allows me to connect with the outdoors, too. Life outside is like a built-in oasis, a place to relax when life inside becomes stressful. After traveling to more locations for field hockey tournaments or college campuses for collegiate visits than I could count, I decided that Babson’s environment and academics fit me best. Babson’s location couldn’t be more perfect: it’s surrounded by acres of trees and spectacular spring and fall foliage, yet it’s only a 30-minute train ride from Boston. Furthermore, Babson encourages its students to participate in its study abroad program, allowing me to travel and explore even more places. Additionally, Babson is recognized as the best school for entrepreneurship in the US. As a student at Babson’s College of Business, I’ll grow my leadership skills and be challenged among other entrepreneurs in a competitive environment. While I am beyond excited for what the future holds at Babson, I realize traveling to Boston for internships, attending rigorous academic classes, and adjusting to life away from home can be stressful. However, I know where to turn when I need a space to pause, an environment that allows me to reset: the outdoors.