For Hilary Baird, graduate school will be just the latest in a long line of triumphs.

From a rejection on her first application to Eastern, to admission as a graduate student at one of the nation鈥檚 top music programs, 51福利社鈥檚 Hilary Baird has lived a true Cinderella story.

In January, Baird was shocked and delighted to receive an acceptance letter and a partial scholarship from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. She was admitted to the college鈥檚 music education program, where she will pursue a master鈥檚 degree with a concentration on music education for those on the autism spectrum.

The program, administered by Berklee鈥檚 Institute for Accessible Arts Education, is the only one of its kind in the country.

鈥淚t is highly competitive due to the school鈥檚 national reputation and how exclusive the area of study is,鈥� says Jonathan Middleton, a professor of music theory and composition at 51福利社 who has worked closely with Baird. 鈥淎dmission to the program is a life-changing experience for her, and for the future students she will serve.鈥�

Baird, a talented pianist who has long struggled with reading and mathematics, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 24. Today she is passionate about teaching music to others whose musical ambitions are challenged by physical or cognitive obstacles 鈥� something she has been doing for the past eight years.

鈥淭here are so many with disabilities, and other marginalized groups of people, who are not getting their talents shared or having their needs met,鈥� Baird says. 鈥淭hey are very intelligent, but they need to learn their way, not the [traditional] system鈥檚 way.鈥�

Baird herself has had to surmount many such obstacles to reach success.

As a young person on the spectrum, progressing through school was an uphill climb. She graduated from high school, but her application for admission to Eastern was rejected due to a low GPA. 鈥淭he idea of college was not in the cards for me,鈥� Baird says she told herself at the time.

But after four years of service in the U.S. Navy 鈥� and accruing the educational benefits that her service provided 鈥� Baird chose to give college, and Eastern, another try. She has since flourished.

听 Baird is currently on the university鈥檚 Dean鈥檚 List with a 3.7 GPA, and will graduate in June with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in music composition.

鈥淚 know there are people at Berklee who will put me in the position to get me where I want to go, and to do what I want to do,鈥� says Baird.听 鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 really monumental. I鈥檓 fighting for the right of my students to be heard.鈥�

A new educational partnership will take experiential education to new heights.

Since it was founded during the Second World War, Fairchild Air Force Base, located just up the road from 51福利社鈥檚 Cheney campus, has been a critical part of our nation鈥檚 air defense system. Now it is poised to be a vital partner in education.

Earlier this spring representatives from Fairchild gathered with 51福利社 faculty and staff to celebrate the finalizing of a formal 鈥淓ducational Partnership Agreement,鈥� one that officials say will provide important experiential learning opportunities for 51福利社 science, technology, mathematics and engineering students.听 鈥淭his will be a mutually beneficial partnership, one with far-reaching impacts,鈥� said 51福利社 President Shari McMahan during the ceremony.

The signing event was especially gratifying for Stu Steiner, the 51福利社 assistant professor of computer sciences who played a key role in making the agreement a reality.

The relationship will pave the way for further interactions with Department of Defense installations such as Fairchild Air Force Base.

Steiner leads the university鈥檚 Center for Network Computing and Cybersecurity. He says the partnership idea originated after 51福利社 cybersecurity students began working with the National Security Agency as part of its National Security Innovation Network. That relationship, he added, paved the way for further interactions with Department of Defense installations such as Fairchild Air Force Base.

Initial discussions with Fairchild were, not surprisingly, centered around cybersecurity. However, after a few meetings, Steiner says, Air Force officials suggested expanding the agreement to include C-STEM students.

鈥淲e鈥檙e focused on the experiential learning,鈥� says Steiner. 鈥淪o if Fairchild needs a new fuel pump created, we鈥檙e going to invite mechanical engineering students to work on it. If they need design work, we鈥檒l let the design students work on that. There are plenty of projects out there.鈥�

After the ceremony, Col. Chesley Dycus, commander of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild, offered his own insights.

鈥淭here are a lot of problems that the Department of Defense and, more specifically the Air Force and team at Fairchild, need help with,鈥� Dycus said. 鈥淭his helps us get academic 鈥� and a lot of other perspectives 鈥� involved to help us with those problems. And, hopefully in doing so, maybe help us recruit some of those students into the Air Force.鈥�

Eastern鈥檚 multi-year Prairie Restoration Project reaches a milestone.

As previously noted in this magazine, Eastern鈥檚 Prairie Restoration Project aims to return a 120-acre parcel of university-owned farmland to its native habitat, thus creating a 鈥渓iving laboratory鈥� of restored Northern Palouse prairie proximate to the Cheney campus. Together with the Spokane and other local tribes 鈥� Native peoples who for millennia called these bounteous hills home 鈥� the project鈥檚 ultimate goal is to help the entire university community better understand and appreciate this unique ecosystem.

This spring the project is closing in on a major milestone: clearing the ground for native听grasses by purging the soil of noxious weeds. 鈥淚t has been really exciting to see the restoration develop to this point,鈥� says Erik听Budsberg, project leader and director of sustainability听at 51福利社.听Both graduate students and undergraduates have studied with the project, he says, 鈥渁ll to help us gain a better understanding of how to proceed to this next phase.鈥�

鈥淚t has been really exciting to see the restoration develop to this point,鈥� says Erik听Budsberg, project leader and director of sustainability听at 51福利社.

This 鈥渘ext phase鈥� will bring more visible progress. When the ground is clear, the entire acreage will be 鈥渄rill seeded鈥� with a mix of wild grasses that student researchers have determined are resilient enough to form root systems. These systems will become the living foundation of the restored prairie.

While the weeding and seeding won鈥檛 be completed until fall, project findings are already having a broader impact. 鈥淲hat we鈥檝e learned has informed our decision听to develop听a听climate-resiliency landscaping master plan,鈥澨鼴udsberg says.听鈥淲e will be converting all of campus landscaping over to the native drought-tolerate plants that are more representative of the regional biodiversity.鈥�

Back on the prairie, meanwhile, the 鈥渓iving-laboratory鈥� part of the mission is also making progress. Both on the site and in Eastern鈥檚 research greenhouses, project participants say restoration-related activities have become an important source of interdisciplinary collaborations and investigations. 鈥淭he research we鈥檝e been doing has been helping us understand the Prairie Restoration Project as a complete ecosystem resource,鈥� says Budsberg.

Each year the 51福利社 Alumni Association holds a gala event to honor a select group of Eastern鈥檚 most impactful alumni. This year, as always, the stories of our inspiring Eagle honorees made it an occasion to remember.听 听

Benjamin P. Cheney Lifetime Achievement

Before he retired as an account executive at Avista, Doug Kelley 鈥�83, our 2024 honoree for Lifetime Achievement Award, was always known as the guy who said 鈥測es.鈥�

鈥淵es鈥� to projects with vision. 鈥淵es鈥� to opportunities in the making. 鈥淵es鈥� to empowering the dreams and ambition of his co-workers and staff.

When, in 2019, Kelley was honored with another Lifetime Achievement citation 鈥� this time from the West Plains Chamber of Commerce鈥� it was this spirit of positive influence that the Chamber celebrated. 鈥淥ur winner is one who has not only been a champion in the West Plains, but throughout the greater Spokane region,鈥� said the board鈥檚 executive director at the time, Toby Broemmeling.

Given that his degree from 51福利社 is in recreation management, it鈥檚 not surprising that Kelley has most often said 鈥測es鈥� to supporting projects and programs involving recreation, especially when these involved the great outdoors. Over the years he has served in countless local and regional volunteer committee positions 鈥� so numerous, he says, that the actual number eludes him 鈥� as well as the race director for the quintessential Spokane event, Bloomsday. As a graduate of Leadership Spokane, he has also said 鈥測es鈥� to participating in solutions to one of our region鈥檚 most devastating challenges: violence against women.听 听

Along with Manny Hochheimer of Numerica, Kelley was a founding member of the YWCA Spokane 鈥楪ood Guys鈥� group 鈥� men from Spokane who have joined together to support the YWCA鈥檚 efforts to end domestic violence. He has also been proud to volunteer at Hope House, a transitional living facility for women, many of whom find themselves in need of assistance due to violence directed against them and their children.听

Finally, there is what might be Kelley鈥檚 most consuming post-retirement passion: international travel. It may be that visiting foreign lands is just an extension of his lifetime obsession with making connections; of sharing with strangers that affirmative energy that has for so long defined Kelley鈥檚 life and work here in the USA.

Or maybe he鈥檚 just determined to monopolize the 鈥淥n the Road鈥� section of this magazine (see Page 30).

Lt. Col. Daniel Carter Military Service

Just after earning his bachelor鈥檚 degree in history, our alumni honoree for military service, Command Sergeant Major Christopher D. Clapin 鈥�97, entered active-duty service in the United States Army.

His decision to serve his country didn鈥檛 surprise those who knew Clapin. Even as a young person, the talented musician and athlete chose to dedicate himself to service and teamwork. His first duty assignment was with 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Moore, Georgia. He has continued to serve for 26 years, 23 of them with the Rangers, rising to the rank of Command Sergeant Major for two different battalions.

Clapin鈥檚 awards, citations and decorations, which include the Purple Heart, are far too many to detail here. But the long list is a testament to a career of dedication, courage and heroism. This telling detail from his nomination letter tells you all you need to know: 鈥淓ven when injured in Afghanistan, and waking up paralyzed in a German hospital, Clapin was most concerned about his Rangers remaining in Afghanistan, not himself. It was his determination to be there for his troops that helped him recover and return to serve his nation and his band of brothers.鈥�

More recently, Clapin successfully completed a 16-month peacekeeping deployment in the Sinai. He is now working towards a master鈥檚 of science degree in organizational leadership at Eastern. 51福利社 celebrates his return, a true eagle among Eagles.

Rising Eagle

This year鈥檚 Rising Eagle award honoree, U.S. Army Captain Katie Emery 鈥�15, is another Eastern profile in courage.

As a member of 51福利社鈥檚 ROTC Cadet Corps, Emery left no doubt that she had the right stuff for success. A communications major with minors in military science, psychology and Spanish language, she graduated from Eastern with a summa cum laude distinction. After receiving her honors degree, she was commissioned as a U.S. Army Aviation Officer while also being recognized as a Distinguished Military Graduate 鈥� an honor distinguishing her as one of the top 20 percent of all ROTC cadets nationwide.听

听After first completing a challenging training course to become a pilot of Apache attack helicopters, Emery landed at Fort Riley, Kansas, where she joined the fort鈥檚 elite Aviation Attack Battalion. Soon, she and her comrades were headed off to Syria in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, a joint task force leading our nation鈥檚 ongoing fight against the Islamic State.

From a remote outpost in Syria, Emery led a platoon of four attack helicopters as they logged more than 300 combat flight hours, missions which often encountered fire from hostile forces.

At every stage of this, her first deployment, Emery distinguished herself. When assigned the role of assistant battalion operations officer, for example, she stepped up to plan attack, reconnaissance and security missions 鈥� operations that she herself participated in.

These efforts, according to her nomination letter, 鈥渄irectly contributed to the significant elimination of hostile forces, which enabled stability in the region.

鈥淐aptain Emery鈥檚 story serves as an inspirational example of the success that 51福利社 students can achieve immediately after graduation by demonstrating the traits of an Eastern Eagle: grit, grace, gratitude and greatness. Captain Emery also serves as an outstanding example for women who are aspiring to lead, on and beyond the campus.鈥�

Sandy Williams Trailblazer

Back when she was a 21-year–old freshman at Eastern, Freda Gandy 鈥�96, our Sandy Williams Trailblazer Award honoree, got an early lesson in the importance of feeling included and supported as she started her journey to earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree.

Gandy had traveled from her home state of Mississippi to study developmental psychology at Eastern. As she recalled in a 2022 interview, she knew she鈥檇 arrived at the right place as soon as she stepped into the classroom of Scott Finnie, beloved professor of Africana Studies at 51福利社. 鈥淲alking into Dr. Finnie鈥檚 class and seeing another person of color, and other students of color made me feel welcome here in Spokane and made me feel a sense of pride to be here,鈥� Gandy told The Coeur d鈥橝lene/Post Falls Press.

Over the years, Gandy has worked tirelessly to ensure that other young people feel similarly supported, included and positioned to succeed. Even before graduation, she began working as a volunteer at Spokane鈥檚 Martin Luther King Jr. Family Outreach Center, then joined the staff as a teacher after earning her degree. As her contributions at the center grew, Gandy rose through the ranks to serve as family services coordinator, then director of children鈥檚 services. She was named the center鈥檚 executive director in 2010.

Through it all, she has never tired of advancing the center鈥檚 critical mission; that is, 鈥渋mproving the quality of life for children, youth and families in Spokane through an array of culturally responsive educational and social services within the framework of Dr. King鈥檚 vision of equal respect, treatment and accessibility for all people.鈥�

Among the nominating materials filed on behalf of Gandy, Chad Heimbigner鈥檚 letter 鈥� he is the COO of Coffman Engineers in Spokane 鈥�听 described her perfectly: 鈥淕andy is an incredible person with a huge heart. She constantly and unconditionally gives her time, shares her talents, and does whatever she can to positively impact the lives of others. The programs she leads make a huge difference in the lives of newborns to seniors … and every age in between.鈥�

As Gandy told The Spokesman-Review back in 2019 after being named a YWCA Women of Achievement: 鈥淚 just have a passion for helping people.鈥�

Gov. Clarence D. Martin Educator of the Year

While an undergraduate education major at 51福利社, Kevin Alley 鈥�07, our Gov. Clarence D. Martin Educator of the Year honoree, received a shocking diagnosis that no young person should ever be forced to face: He had a life-threatening form of cancer.

Multiple surgeries followed. These seemed to be a success, and Alley was able to return to Eastern and resume his previous role as an RA in Eastern鈥檚 Dressler Residence Hall.

Unfortunately, Alley鈥檚 health care odyssey wasn鈥檛 over. After waking up with back pain during Finals Week, Alley learned that he had shattered a vertebrae in his spine (a consequence of the earlier cancer treatments). And there was even worse news. The cancer was back 鈥� this time at Stage 4.

Alley spent the next nine months in a Seattle hospital bed, his mom constantly by his side. Support also poured in from his church, his hometown community and, of course, his fellow Eagles. Especially his fellow Eagles. Here鈥檚 how Alley puts it: 鈥淲e were so surprised by the flood of support from Eastern: professors, students, dorm officials and athletic staff.听 Coach Giacoletti of our 2004 51福利社 men鈥檚 basketball team delivered a signed ball, 51福利社 Residential Life held 3-on-3 tournaments, and others held fundraisers to support me and my family. And, most special, were the letters, emails and cards that were sent from so many in my Eastern Eagle family.鈥�

Alley beat the odds, and returned to 51福利社 鈥� cancer free 鈥� to complete a bachelor鈥檚 degree in special education and, later, a master鈥檚 degree in educational leadership with a principal鈥檚 certification. Today his experience informs every aspect of his career as a beloved teacher and coach in Washington鈥檚 Columbia School District, where, outside of the classroom, he has provided guidance to young male athletes as a baseball coach and football coach, helping them to become, as he puts it, 鈥渁 great son, brother, husband, and father.鈥�

Alley鈥檚 drive and dedication have not gone unnoticed. Earlier this year he was honored with the Crystal Apple Award for Teaching Excellence in the greater Tri-Cities area, a distinction that is given to teachers that go above and beyond in their classrooms and schools.

Tawanka Service

Erik Puthoff 鈥�05, our 2024 Tawanka Service Award honoree, moved to Spokane from his hometown of Chewelah in 1999. After starting out at Spokane Falls Community College, he transferred to 51福利社 to pursue a degree in communication studies.

It was no accident that Puthoff became an Eagle; his mom and sister had gone to Eastern, and their experience instilled in him a strong desire to finish his studies in Cheney.

To make that transition work, however, Puthoff, like a lot of Eagles, had to help finance his Eastern education by working in Spokane. This meant he didn鈥檛 have time to participate in the campus-based clubs and activities that help define the collegiate experience for so many 51福利社 students.

But that didn’t stop him from making the most of his time as an undergrad. On a personal level, he made lasting friendships and found a sense of belonging. As a scholar, he found inspiration from professors like Jeff Stafford, a renowned communication鈥檚 faculty member who has always put his students first.

These days, as a successful member of the community development team at STCU, Puthoff is committed to making his own contributions toward putting student success first at his alma mater.

The nomination letter of STCU鈥檚 Traci McGlathery provides a sense of his commitment: 鈥淧uthoff has served on the 51福利社 Alumni Association board, delivered financial education to 51福利社 classrooms, and served as the STCU representative for STCU and 51福利社 partnerships for nearly 10 years. From serving pancakes at Moonlight Breakfast, quizzing students on the campus STCU golf cart, or connecting with others via the Eagle Career Network, I know he takes great pride in his connections and affiliations with 51福利社.鈥�

Eagle4Life Spirit

This year鈥檚 Eagle4Life Spirit honor went to not one, but two exemplary Eagles: Paul Terrell 鈥�05 and Landon Luiten 鈥�03. Both Terrell and Luiten have long been among Eastern鈥檚 most tirelessly enthusiastic backers, sharing their love for the university in countless ways. But it鈥檚 a more recent, behind-the-scenes project which will ensure that the generosity of their Eagle spirit will be felt for years to come.听

Together, Terrell and Luiten spearheaded the effort to remake 51福利社 football鈥檚 locker room. It was a much-needed face lift that has transformed the severely outdated space into an attractive, functional place. Funding from the generous backers of the Eagle Football Network made the work possible, but Terrell and Luiten made it sing.

Both put in countless volunteer hours on design, construction and recruiting the volunteers who stepped up to assist in the project. Last summer, for example, they were often on site until the early morning hours. The result is a new, fresh space that every Eagle, and potential Eagle, can be proud of.

鈥淵ou do it for your football family first, and then hope that enhances the football family in the future,鈥� Coach Aaron Best told The Spokesman-Review last summer. 鈥淭he newness of something in a place we hold sacred makes it that much more special. The guys hang out, play games, watch film, dress and have some of their greatest memories in that room.鈥�

For Terrell and Luiten, the locker room renovation project was just the latest iteration of their Eagle4Life spirit, according to their nominating letter. 鈥淎 great deal of the branding,鈥� the letter read, 鈥渨as designed by Terrell himself. Luiten is very engaged with basketball鈥檚 6th Man Club. Both of their families also represent 51福利社 on a regular basis. And you can be sure that both of these individuals are going to be first in the tailgating lot on Eagle football Saturdays.鈥�

Big Sky MVP Jamie Loera reflects on a spectacular season for Eastern women鈥檚 basketball.

In a year that saw a certain shooting guard from Iowa create an extraordinary surge in the popularity of women鈥檚 college basketball, Eastern鈥檚 hoop stars also completed a season for the history books. Led by their own front-court sensation, Jamie Loera, the Eagle women earned both regular-season and tournament championships in the Big Sky Conference, scoring their first NCAA Tournament berth in 34 years. For her part, Loera, a recent master鈥檚 degree graduate in 51福利社鈥檚 organizational leadership program, was the unanimous MVP choice of conference coaches, while also earning her second straight Defensive Player of the Year award and a first team All-Big Sky selection. Loera, a Moses Lake native who transferred to 51福利社 from Arizona State in 2022, announced this spring that she will forgo her final year of eligibility. Before moving on, she spoke with Eastern magazine about her role as the anchor of what many are calling the greatest-ever 51福利社 women鈥檚 basketball team.

Thanks for taking time out to talk with us! Congratulations on an amazing season. At what point did you realize that this team was something special?

When I first arrived at Eastern [before the beginning of the 2022 season], I saw that this was a group of girls that really showed up for each other. It was a true sisterhood. And with the success we had that first year, I was like, 鈥榃ow!鈥� This team has great potential.

So knowing that 鈥�听 just how good we could be 鈥擨 prepared for this season trusting that we were going to be Big Sky champions. I just strongly believed that we were great, and I showed up every day with that belief.

There were a lot of us who believed, actually, and we talked about it every day. We set big goals, we set process goals. And we worked hard; we grinded all offseason and in the preseason as well. I think that was our strength: We were able to just focus on who we were as a team and focus on our preparation.

And the work paid off, for sure. Still, you and your teammates had a couple of tough defeats early on. I鈥檓 thinking of the two-point loss to Gonzaga at home, and the loss on the road to Cal 鈥� a game that you led most of the way. Two things I wanted to ask: What did Coach [Joddie] Gleason talk about after those early defeats, and what was it about you and your teammates that helped you move on to the success you enjoyed in conference play?

One of the things Coach Joddie talked about was how we had to not let [the losses] define our season; to not let them define who we are. I think that statement was just so powerful in creating a positive environment, keeping spirits up, keeping our mindset level鈥�

When we watched the film, Coach Joddie 鈥� and all the coaching staff 鈥� made a point of highlighting the areas that we did well in. It was super beneficial for them to take some time and say, 鈥極kay, what did we do well in this game?鈥� But also to look at those areas where we needed to grow. Like rebounding, turnovers, getting stops on defense. Those were areas that we definitely needed to improve on.

But I think it was just super reassuring for our coaches to talk about how setbacks like these were going to prepare us for much tougher moments in the future 鈥� moments in the middle of the season and at its end. So I think they were reassuring and very positive after those losses. And, you know, we actually didn鈥檛 let the losses define us. We kept moving forward.

During that first season with the Eagles, you quickly emerged as a real force on defense, something you鈥檝e obviously carried forward and taken to new heights. Was defense always a big part of your game? Or did it become a particular focus here at Eastern?

I want to say defense was always my strength. But I definitely give a lot of credit, especially for the knowledge that I’ve developed about defense, to my previous school, Arizona State. We were very defense oriented, and our coach took a lot of pride in emphasizing the defensive side of our system.

When it came to my own game, I really wanted to develop into a player that could make an impact on both sides of the ball. To know that, if my shot wasn鈥檛 falling or I couldn鈥檛 get a good look on offense, I could make an impact on defense. I took a lot of pride in that. So yeah, I just really focused on all of the areas I could make an impact in the game, not just on offense. But I take a lot of pride in defense, and it鈥�s definitely elevated my game.

I think a lot of basketball fans 鈥� especially casual fans 鈥� don鈥檛 always appreciate how critical the defensive side of the game can be. Can you talk a little bit about the role defense played in this year鈥檚 historic season?

It plays such a significant role! Defense has kind of been getting a little bit lost in the process of, you know, the game changing: the shift to a greater emphasis on scoring and offense.

But on our team, we really took a lot of pride in understanding our opponents鈥� offensive systems so that we could get stops, force turnovers and limit them to one shot per possession鈥� When you do that, you’re forcing people to change their pace on offense; forcing them to change ball movement. They’re just not going to run their offense as smoothly or as comfortably as they want to.

For us at Eastern, we scored a lot of points off turnovers. So that defensive game really pushed our momentum on offense.

Personally, as a player, I thrive off the defensive stops and big plays by my teammates. When Jaydia [Jaydia Martin, junior small forward] takes a charge, or when Jacinta [Jacinta Buckley, senior guard] blocks a shot, I get high from that! I鈥檓 like, 鈥楢ll right, let鈥檚 go! Let鈥檚 go score!鈥� There鈥檚 a lot of energy that comes from playing good defense.

And a lot of negative mental energy for your opponents, too. It seemed like there were so many times this year that you guys really disrupted other teams 鈥� got them rattled. Am I right?

Oh yeah. That was the goal.

As a graduate student, I鈥檓 guessing you are a little bit older than many of your teammates. Did age and experience help you take on the leadership role that you assumed with this team? Is that something you and your coaches talked about going into this year?

When I first got to Eastern, I definitely held back. Just being a new face on the roster and coming into a group that had really strong chemistry, I didn’t want to say too much. I was focused on developing relationships. Of course I think that鈥檚 part of leadership, too: building trust, building relationships on the team.

This season Coach Joddie encouraged me to take charge a little more, at least on the basketball court. And I think that was a difference between my first and second years 鈥� really taking on that role as a leader; taking more shots on offense and pushing the ball, being a little more selfish on the court.

I definitely got more comfortable having a year under my belt, after building relationships and people getting to know me. But leadership was definitely one of the key roles I had to take on, really from the time I first got to Eastern. Because our coaches believed in my experience, they believed in my abilities鈥� they were amazing. And the girls, too: I think the girls knew that I really loved the leadership role, and loved being the sort of impact player who would do whatever I could for them.

After you and your teammates won both the Big Sky regular season and tournament championships, you came back to Cheney to prepare for a tough draw in the NCAA Tournament. But first, there was some celebrating, right? A big greeting when your bus rolled in?

My goodness, it was so cool! All of us were just so happy and excited to see everybody. The love that we got from campus was just so amazing. We were very, very happy to represent Eastern.

Then you had to go back on the road for the first round of the Big Dance. It must have been really exciting, but also incredibly daunting, to play Oregon State, a highly ranked team on their home court.

Just the idea of being in March Madness itself, you know, it鈥檚 a bit overwhelming. It had been 30 years since [Eastern women鈥檚 basketball] had been there, a long time. That just adds pressure鈥�

Our coaches reminded us to embrace the moment, to embrace the opportunity and to have the confidence that we could win. We had played really well 鈥� matched up really well 鈥� against them last year. So we had those conversations about going out there and having fun while staying confident in our team and in our play. We absolutely thought we could make it to the second round. We鈥�d proven ourselves, we鈥檇 been through every situation that you can think of.

We were a bit disappointed about the outcome. But, all in all, super proud, too. Just to get there, and in how we were able to represent 51福利社.

You were the unanimous choice for the Big Sky鈥檚 MVP, were the conference鈥檚 defensive player of the year, and a first team All-Big Sky selection.听 What were you thinking and feeling when the accolades started rolling in?

Wow, I don’t know. On the day when it came out, I was just really grateful. Honestly, awards and accolades just weren鈥檛 really something that I thought about. I try to be an impact player. You know? To control what I can control. That鈥�s how I was going to impact this team, and to help us win.

Sure, I’m definitely, selfishly, proud of myself. It鈥�s been a tough journey for me. But mostly I’m just super grateful that I could play the way I played for our team. The accolades, as I said, were never a goal for me. The goal was for our team to win, and to be the best that we could be.

Still, it must have been amazing to experience the outpouring of support you received鈥μ�

That鈥檚 all I could really focus on! I was just overwhelmed with love and gratitude, Yeah, just super, super grateful. It was a humbling experience. But like everything else, I was just trying to stay present in each moment, and to focus on not getting too high or getting too low.

Speaking of lows 鈥� at least for your many fans here at 51福利社 鈥�听 I鈥檓 told you are not planning to exercise your remaining year of eligibility? Is that a done deal, or might you reconsider?

I definitely made the decision not to take it right now, and I鈥�m just looking to move forward to a position where I can continue to make an impact on the game.听 I am very excited for what鈥檚 to come. And I know that 51福利社 has my back, always!

鈥� Interview by Charles E. Reineke. Photos by Braeden Harlow. Questions and responses have been edited for length and clarity.