I remember being a senior in high school and still had no idea where I was going to be spending the next four years of my life. Of course I had my top choices; Trine, GVSU, and Manchester university were all part of the talk. One thing I knew for a fact was that I wanted to play basketball.
Since I tore my ACL senior year, the GVSU coach stopped talking to me and wanted me to go to KVCC for two years and then come play at GVSU. This was not an option for me because I wanted to attend an institution for four years, so it was now between Trine and Manchester. I really hadn’t ever considered Trine until I received an email from the coach. I loved what he had to say and he said really great things about the university. Manchester had also emailed me and what they said was also wonderful. What I really appreciated about Manchester is that they were honest with me and said I probably wouldn’t play freshman year because of tearing my ACL.
I had yet to visit these schools and one of my teachers knew I was struggling. Her advice to me was to make a pros and cons list. It was amazing how helpful that was even though I hadn’t visited either school. After we went through the list she looked at me and said, “In all honesty, you’re not going to know which school is the perfect fit for you until you step foot on their campus.” Boy, was she right.
I visited Manchester first and really liked what the coach had to say and how the players had treated me. It was a lot of fun getting to know the girls and hanging out with them because they were so welcoming. I remember them asking me so many questions. When I told them that I could shoot with either hand they were amazed. They were like, "No, you can't." So we had to specifically go to the gym and I had to shoot from the elbows with both hands. They were so funny because they couldn’t believe I could do that. It was so much fun hanging out with the team and going on my visit there. The facilities were not very fancy, but that was not a deciding factor.
Then I scheduled my visit with Trine. This visit was so much fun and the girls were super nice to me. I had no idea how right my teacher was because as soon as I got on campus I knew that I was going to go to Trine. I loved the campus, I loved the facilities, and most of all I loved the team. I met the girl who became my best friend in Freshman year that day and she is now a life long friend. Trine was where I was supposed to be and I knew it when I stepped foot on campus. When I got here in the fall I was so excited and now four years later it has become my second home. I'm not ready to leave.
I have met some of the most amazing people here and I wouldn’t trade anything for the world. I am so blessed to have found Trine as my home and I wouldn’t want it any other way. The faculty and staff here are genuinely nice and care about your success. The RAs were wonderful individuals and I even had the opportunity to be one for 3 years. Lifelong friends and lifelong connections have been made. I couldn’t be happier that I chose to come here because it has truly changed my life for the better. If you want a university that is constantly on the rise and one that is small, then Trine is the place for you. It’s my home away from home.
