Beyond An Athlete - Student Equity and Engagement Center

During the first semester of my freshman year, my math professor had her students fill out a dot graph in hopes of getting to know the class better. The title on the x-axis said “Miles Home” and the y-axis said “Hours Home.” All my peers were placing their dots in the far left, lower corner of the graph. I quickly realized I was different when I had to step up on a chair and place my dot about four feet beyond the margins of the graph. As I stepped down, people began to gather and conclude I am very far from home, the outlier of the group. 

If someone would have told me five years ago that I would be going to Northern Michigan University, playing my favorite sport, creating a blog, and living my dream college experience, I wouldn’t have believed it for a second. I can confidently say young fifteen-year-old Taylor would be proud, but it hasn’t always felt this way. 

It was challenging at first to adjust, especially as a freshman from the west coast. The climate in Oregon compared to the Midwest is drastically different. From evergreens to birch trees, and from mountains to small hills, I quickly understood the U.P. was much different than everything I previously knew. Compared to the majority of my teammates who are a days-drive from home, I am about thirty hours from Oregon. One of the most frightening parts was knowing absolutely no one as I arrived on campus. I was alone and realized I had to build a new support system. Making friends wasn’t easy as you would assume, but I continued to grow and nurture my new relationships, which now will for sure last a lifetime. I started to engulf myself in the new culture around me and fell in love with the new life I created, the life fifteen-year-old Taylor dreamed of. There are good and bad days, but I can say the risk of moving across the country has done more than just paid off. Feeling proud of myself is an understatement. While getting through the adjustment I showed myself that I am stronger than I think. I hope you know you are stronger than you think. 

Before you get ahead of yourself, know that I am not just here to talk about my journey to college, but the blog I am creating. This blog is much bigger than just my story. This blog is for all athletes who have something valuable to share. This is for us. 

Storytelling has been around since humans could communicate. Storytelling was the only way I could bridge my new connections at Northern, as I share with you my past and my present. I welcome you to my passion project, the Beyond An Athlete blog. Since coming to college I have met so many individuals with a variety of different backgrounds, especially athletes from all over the country.

As athletes, we get caught up in the pressures of our sport and academics. I created this blog in hopes of people taking a step back and listening to our athletes as real humans beyond their sport. These are people with a diverse past, inspiring passions, and self-defining moments. People who have struggled and overcome. People who have put so much energy into navigating their relationship with their mental health. When these stories are shared, representation is celebrated and our athletes are heard. While these posts are powerful for the reader, I believe the athlete is getting the most out of the blog. This is a space where athletes are journaling and reflecting on their identity. In participating in Beyond An Athlete, these students are validating their own life as they reflect on what makes their life story strong and powerful. There is so much more to a person beyond being a college athlete. This blog is bigger than me and my story, this blog is for all athletes. 

You have something valuable to share. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and welcome to Beyond An Athlete Blog. 

My name is Taylor Priestley. I play on the Women's Lacrosse team here at Northern. I am a Junior, majoring in Secondary Education, English. I am from Portland, Oregon