UConn’s student-athletes are often lauded for their on-field or on-court achievements, but there’s an equally important – often unseen – dimension to the student-athlete. UConn Today is publishing a series of profiles to highlight the academic prowess of these student-athletes. Follow along as we profile two athletes each month, and provide an inside look at the academic pursuits of these high-achieving student-athletes.
Kennedy Meier ’16 (CLAS)
Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Sport: Women’s Swimming & Diving
Major: Molecular and Cell Biology
Anticipated graduation: May 2016
What’s your specialty on the team? I am a backstroker and middle distance freestyler. My main events are the 200m backstroke, 100m backstroke, and the 500m freestyle.
What’s your favorite class and why? I’m currently taking a Social Well-Being class that I really enjoy. We’ve been talking about who has the highest levels of happiness and what can we do to increase our happiness; it’s all very interesting. I’m a molecular and cell biology major, so taking a sociology course is very different from what I’m used to, but I really like that being part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences allows me to take courses that have nothing to do with my major. The professor for this course is Bradley Wright, and I really love his enthusiasm and teaching style. The class is discussion-based, so we are able to apply the concepts we’ve learned to our own experiences.
How do you balance the demands of your sport as well as a full class load? Swimming taught me from a very young age that I needed to be organized in order to balance everything I have going on in life, and I’ve really just carried that over into college. I plan what I need to do and by when, and try my best to stay on top of everything so I can succeed in both the pool and the classroom.
What does your schedule look like on a typical day during the season? My alarm for a regular day is set for 5:27 a.m. to get to either a 6 a.m. swim or lift on time. We work out from 6 until 7:30 and then grab breakfast before heading to class for the day. Our second workout is at 3:30 and goes until 5:30 p.m. The evening is really our time to do work, and on Mondays and Wednesdays we have a team study hall.
What are some of your academic accomplishments? My sophomore year I won the Women’s Swimming Outstanding Scholar Athlete Award. In 2013 I was named a New England Scholar [having earned at least a 3.7 GPA for each semester], and in 2014 and 2015 I was a Babbidge Scholar [having earned a 4.0 GPA for each semester].
What is the biggest challenge you face as a student-athlete? One of the biggest challenges student-athletes face is keeping up with academic work while traveling. For away meets, we can spend almost the entire day at the pool, and studying while on a bus or plane is less than an ideal situation. On top of that, we’re in competition mode – trying to be as focused as possible on our performance in the pool. People may underestimate how hard it is to balance school and swimming under these circumstances.
Describe someone you’ve met here who has already impacted your future. I think that Coach Goldberg really helped me grow into the person I am today. His reminders to keep things in perspective will stay with me long after I graduate. Something he always stresses is that you can only control what you do, and I think that is really a key way to approach life’s circumstances – just put your best self forward and let everything else fall into place.
What does it mean to you to be a Husky? When I think of being a Husky, I really just feel proud. I take pride in receiving such an amazing education and having worked so hard as a part of a collegiate team. It’s become such a large part of my identity and I know, no matter where life brings me, I’ll always be proud to call myself a Husky.
Where are you headed after graduation? Hopefully to medical school, but first I would like to travel. I’m currently planning a trip to Southeast Asia.
