Exercising Faith

My name is William and I am from a small Appalachian town in Rockcastle County, Kentucky, known as Mount Vernon. In April, I graduated from Cumberlands with a Bachelor of Science in Fitness and Sports Management. I am continuing my education by pursuing a master’s degree in Christian Studies and will be starting a graduate assistant position with Sports Ministry/FCA.

College isn’t typical in my family, as my sister and I were the first to attend. This accomplishment still doesn’t seem real but looking back it is incredible how God was and still is working in my life. Even though Cumberlands is where I received my degree, it’s not where I started my journey. Coming out of high school, I decided to attend a major university in Kentucky. At the time, I wanted to pursue a career in health care, but halfway through the semester, I knew that wasn’t where my passion was, and I had a change of heart. It was at that time I started to struggle with school. I was debating if I even wanted to be in college. I decided I wanted to transfer out and start somewhere new.

I had a meaningful conversation with my sister Cassidy and I decided to commit to Cumberlands. She was a senior when I came in as a second-semester freshman. Coming from a small town, one of the first factors about Cumberlands that I fell in love with was that I was able to get to know the people I walked by every day. When committing to Cumberlands, I knew I wanted to do something in sports. I didn’t know what at the time, but I knew I was passionate and truly enjoyed it. One of my biggest goals when coming to college was to get involved and create relationships with others. I was able to do this through basketball and my major in fitness and sports management. Basketball is one of my biggest hobbies – I enjoy playing, watching, and teaching it. I love it all. Through generous donations from donors to the Workship Program, I worked in the Sports Information Office for three and a half years as a student, which was a great experience. I learned more about various sports while creating relationships with different players and coaches. Another program I invested my time into was Appalachian Ministries. I worked summer jobs and events throughout the school year. I knew I wanted to make an impact on the kids in the community and teach them the love God has given me and what He did on the cross because of His love for His children.

It wasn’t until my senior year that I started seeing the direction God was leading me. I realized this direction through working with youth and creating relationships in sports. God took both of my passions and gave me an opportunity to further my education in Christian Studies at Cumberlands, for which I am incredibly thankful. This year, as I already mentioned, I get to work as a Graduate Assistant for Campus Ministries and Sports Ministry. Without the kind support from donors I would never have had these amazing opportunities. I would like to say thank you for making an impact on campus for students like me to pursue dreams, goals, and passions.