What’s one thing you learned as an Augsburg athlete that impacted your career?

We reached out across our social media channels to gather stories about what alumni learned during their time as Augsburg student-athletes. Here are some of their responses:

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I played soccer at Augsburg all four years of my collegiate experience. Now Eilidh Pederson, then Eilidh Reyelts (#20). I learned so much from being a student-athlete, including skills that I use every day as a hospital CEO.

Highlights of lessons learned include:

Impact of serving on a team.
Time management.
Leadership.
Strategy.
Power of preparation.
Assists matter more than goals.
You don’t have to be a starter to make an impact.

—Eilidh Pederson ’06, MPH, FACHE
Chief executive officer at Western Wisconsin Health
(via email)

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How you impact people matters. Ten years away from athletics [as a student], but I’m still surrounded by my teammates, who now are all navigating motherhood/adulthood together. Cultivating your village starts in college, and while we look back and are proud of what we did on the court, we are more proud of who we did it with.

—Colleen (Ourada) Enrico ’14
Augsburg University assistant athletic director, compliance director, and volleyball assistant coach
(via email)

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How to focus on my goal and prioritize what I need to do to achieve my goal. I loved my time as a student-athlete at Augsburg!

—Ashley Wolke ’13
Finance supervisor at Best Buy
(via Instagram)

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Perseverance, leadership, and continuous improvement.

—Liz Wiggen ’07
Senior communications and engagement manager at Zan Associates
(via LinkedIn)

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The journey is just as important as the goal. Don’t become so focused on where you are headed that you miss everything on the way there. The relationships that are cultivated, the people that you work alongside, and the experiences you share with them—these are often far more valuable than anything you might achieve together in the process.

—Kristen Opalinski ’03
Design associate at Three Stones Consulting LTD
(via email)

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Top Image:  Augsburg volleyball players block the ball against St. Olaf College, 2021. (Photo by Courtney Perry)