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From the "Ouachitonian": Kellen Church

Kellen ChurchOctober 17, 2022 - Lucie Shepherd

At the age of five, a young girl established a love for a sport that would impact her for the rest of her life. Years following, a love for another sport blossomed, leading her to play two sports throughout her life.

After years of practicing, growing skills and learning new techniques, it led this individual to live out her dream of playing at the collegiate level. Luckily, in this case she gets to play both the sports she loves.

Kellen Church, a sophomore business administration/sport management and business administration/marketing double major from Jonesboro, Ark., had the opportunity to play both softball and volleyball at Ouachita.

In the years leading up to college, Church ran into difficulties during her high school years that caused her to rethink the ability of living out her dreams of playing in college. Church found it defeating sometimes when she was not being recruited for either sport.

“I wanted to play in college so badly that I decided to just go to school until I had the opportunity to play both sports,” Church said.

Luckily with the help of her coaches and support system, she was able to figure out how to overcome her adversities.

“My family, friends and coaches have pushed me to be the best I can be, and that has impacted my life in more ways than I could ever imagine,” Church said.

The people she had in her corner are the ones who got her here today.

While getting to the collegiate level was a challenge in itself, Church had to learn how to best balance academics, social life and two sports schedules. It seemed like it was impossible to manage all of those.

However, Church used her time management skills to make sure she stayed on top of her schedule. Along with that, the coaches and professors at Ouachita did a notable job helping their student succeed academically.

“My coaches and professors have been very supportive in anything I’ve done, and I really appreciate all their help,” Church said.

Church lived out her dream playing not only one, but two sports in college. She was grateful for the opportunities she has had to grow in all areas of her life. Her favorite memory of being a Ouachita Tiger was creating strong friendships with her teammates.

“I have met some of my best friends through sports, and I love that about these teams here at Ouachita,” Church said.

Photo by Levi Dade

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