The transition to college life can be difficult for some students, suddenly you’re away from what you’ve known most of your life and you’re on your own. However, at Averett University there are many different ways to make college your home away from home. Some like to keep their group of friends small and stay to themselves, while others like to explore different opportunities on campus and get involved. One of these students is Kylie McWhorter, a sophomore, majoring in elementary education and sports administration, from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
“I started to get involved on campus during the fall semester of my freshman year,” McWorther said. “I decided to become involved to make friends, gain new experiences and help me build skills like time management. It has also been fun getting to make changes around campus and hosting events”
Currently, McWhorter is a part of five clubs and organizations at Averett. She is the secretary of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, sophomore class representative for the Student Government Association, Connect Leader, Sister 4 Sister member, Kappa Delta Pi member, and a goalie on the women’s lacrosse team. Although McWhorter is only a sophomore, she has already noticed the big impact being involved on campus has had on her.
“Being so involved on campus, I already have accomplished a lot of personal growth,” McWhorter said. “I have learned a lot of life skills by being involved and managed to put myself into leadership roles, giving me cool opportunities such as going to ODAC conferences.”
Being involved on campus and having as many extra curricular activities as McWhorter, can be a lot to manage. This is why, as much as she recommends everyone to get involved, she also advises them to also take time for themselves and prioritize their mental health.
“If I could give one piece of advice to my freshman self, I would tell her that it’s okay to not always be doing something and that personal care is important,” McWhorter said. “However, I highly encourage everyone to try and be a part of at least one club or organization. Even if you don’t think there is anything for you out there, you can always start your own club.”
McWhorter does not only work hard to make a change around Averett’s main campus, she also spends a lot of her time at North Campus, practicing her lacrosse skills and applying her leadership skills as a part of the women’s lacrosse team. Her efforts don’t go unnoticed and McWhorter is seen as inspiring by many teammates, including Cayden Holdsworth, a sophomore on the women’s lacrosse team. Holdsworth was McWhorter’s roommate during their freshman year at Averett and has seen her grow into the leader she is today.
“Watching her grow into the leader that she is has been inspiring,” Holdsworth said. “Considering she is only a sophomore and is highly involved on campus, watching how much effort she puts into all of her different positions is truly amazing. Not only in organizations but on the field as well, watching her take the initiative to go out and practice on her own to make herself better and help her team. She is always working hard to create better outcomes and opportunities for herself and others.”
Although McWhorter still has two years left at Averett, she already has big dreams for the future that she has been chasing. Being in many different leadership positions, in combination with the different coaching classes she has taken for a business administration major, she has found herself aspiring to be an athletic director.
