Amanda Curcio, senior volleyball player and education major, is thankful for the time she had on the field, after the team, like many others on campus, did not have a traditional season this fall. She said the student-athlete experience is “like no other.”

“I get to go to school, studying my dream job of becoming an elementary teacher all the while playing the sport that I love. I have loved every second of it. From getting car sick doing my homework on bus rides back from games, to having my teammates help me create lesson plans, it has been filled with great memories that I will cherish forever,” Curcio said.

Curcio’s favorite memory is when they played a game to support the treatment of childhood cancer, after the disease touched a family member.

“Childhood cancer is something that is close to my heart along with many of my teammates,” she said.

Curcio credits the sport, and the many experiences it provided, for her personal growth.

“Especially this year, it has taught me to always do everything at 100% because you never know when the opportunity to do something will be taken away,” Curcio said.

She said the sport has also made her a better leader because, through it, she learned much about people.

“I learned that every person is unique and different, and it is important that you are able to reach them on their own personal level. The game itself has taught me to have a mentality I know I would not have had if it weren’t for volleyball,” she said.

She said she will miss being on the court with her teammates.

“I will miss playing volleyball with my teammates. We all had such great chemistry and connected so well together. I can always play volleyball again, but I won’t be able to play with all of my teammates,” Curcio said.