Senior Haley Schroeder’s college career began with the initial goal of playing lacrosse in the North Coast Atlantic Conference (NCAC).
Schroeder grew up playing high school lacrosse in Granville, Ohio, a sport she always knew she wanted to pursue in college.
She first found out about Wittenberg because her mother works at Denison, another NCAC school. However, she didn’t want to attend the university so close to home, and wanted to play lacrosse at a school in the conference.
Schroeder wasn’t even sure about Wittenberg, with her other top choices being Kenyon University and Ohio Wesleyan University. Ultimately, she ended up at Wittenberg with her eye on the lacrosse team.
Schroeder says that being a college athlete has been the “absolute best experience.” But there were times that were hard and she didn’t know if she had it in her to continue the full four years.
While reflecting on injuries, morning practices and tiring games, Schroeder said that, “I would be nothing without lacrosse and so lonely without my team.”
The senior athlete shares that it is not always easy though. When you feel that you’re missing out on things outside of athletics, it is best to rely on your teammates. Schroeder shared a few words of advice to fellow college athletes.
“They’re your best friends, so if they’re missing out too, what is there to be sad about?” Schroeder said.
In fact, one of her favorite memories at Wittenberg was shared with her teammates during grad week last year after the NCAC championship game.
Along with balancing athletics, Schroeder is finishing up her time at Wittenberg as a marketing major and studio art minor.
She was also involved in the 4 Paws program, Delta Gamma sorority and worked for the men’s lacrosse coach.
One thing Schroeder regrets about her balance of athletics and extracurriculars would be incorporating time to study abroad, something she would change given the chance.
In regards to her career path, Schroeder has always had aspirations for corporate retail and fashion, and is looking for work as graduation approaches. She is excited to see what happens during post-grad life and what opportunities will come her way.
Schroeder had an internship with Nordstrom last summer, which expanded her love for retail and “gave me a great sense for areas I was unfamiliar with and couldn’t learn about at Wittenberg.”
With her love for retail and fashion along with her internship this past summer, Schroeder said her dream job would to be a buyer at Nordstrom.
But for now, Schroeder looks forward to a “much needed vacation” after graduation with some of her Wittenberg friends in Martha’s Vineyard.
