Life after St. Andrews?

We have been doing some advanced planning with the slightly quieter time in May (especially now that the horses are starting to leave for their summer homes and the numbers at the Equestrian Center are going down). One of the projects I have been involved in concerns helping our students with possible careers early on in college life so they can take the appropriate classes and maximize their St. Andrews education. Discussions for this project led us in several directions one of them being what our graduates are doing now. Renee Jones, Director of Career Services, complies data on what graduates are doing six months after graduation. She has done an incredible job with this the last few years.

2013 – 100% of grads are either working full or part time, furthering their education, doing an internship or serving our country in the military or in organizations such as Peace Corps. Data for previous years are equally impressive 2012 – 96% and 2011 – 94%.

Renee does something that most schools fail to do, she gets in touch with every graduate at the six month mark to find out what they are doing. Most schools poll 20 – 30% and draw conclusions from that and so their results are not quite as accurate as the SAU figures. Renee was kind enough to share the 2013 breakdown with me and it was pretty remarkable. Remember this is 100% of the graduating class reporting not a small sample!

Continuing Education – 14.5%

Internships – 1.3%

Full-Time Employment – 63.2%

Part-Time Employment – 21.1%

St. Andrews maybe small but these figures speak loud and clear for the value of the education provided.

Thanks for sharing Renee!

Seniors Ride at Last IDA Show of the Collegiate Careers

by Kirsten Farley

St. Andrews IDA show, Sunday, March 2, 2014

This weekend marked the last show for the dressage team this year. They had some hard competition, finishing 5th as the team, but they were Reserve High Point team for their Region and will be classified as a “wild card” towards Nationals. If the team does not get to go forward to Nationals, there is a chance that sophomore Elizabethe Weeks, who finished as Reserve Champion Intro rider Sunday, might go as an individual.

However, this show might have marked the end of the season, potentially, but it was also the end of collegiate careers for seniors Abi Skillman and Sarah Jones.
When the seniors were asked various questions about this experience and what they would take away from it, they took a day to respond, and responded with some pretty deep answers.
Sarah Jones- “The best experience I got from this season was the opportunity to show at First level. I have shown First level tests on my own horse but being able to ride for my team was exciting.
The highlight of my IDA career was probably getting the reserve high score award at NC State's IDA show and winning the show with my team. I will miss my team members the most. I have met so many great people, even the ones who are no longer on the team. These girls mean a lot to me!
Being able to ride so many different horses and riding with different instructors and clinicians has really helped my riding abilities and I have learned so much from all those different people.”

Abi Skillman- “Throughout this experience I have learned not only how to become a better rider but also a better friend and person.  I gained a new respect for the discipline and learned that life isn't all about the ribbons but about the relationship you make with horses and people.  What I will miss most about IDA is the camaraderie between the teammates.  We spend a lot of time together and work so hard, it’s really nice that we are all actually good friends as well and truly support each other. We really spread the love and I will definitely miss being a part of such a tight knit team. The highlight of my IDA career at SAU was coming back from the Ethics Symposium in Hilton Head to show on the second day of our opening back to back shows and earning a second place.  Last season I was still learning the ropes of the dressage world so it was great to see the reward from all the hard work. The best IDA experience I have had this season was learning to control my emotions and overcome the mental block I get when I draw a tough horse or have to ride under pressure.  At our final show I was doing both but I worked through it and had the best ride I have ever had on that horse.  When I finished my test Jackie gave me a hug and said she was proud of me.  That moment really meant a lot.”

When I asked Jackie Dwelle about her thoughts about this season and her seniors she said this, “Watching the riders develop their skills was my favorite highlight from this season. It is so much more than being able to ride, you have to be physically fit and perhaps even more importantly, be able to manage your emotions to overcome the mental challenges that this sport brings. It has been so fulfilling to see Abi go from being an accomplished hunter seat rider, making the transition to beginner dressage rider, modifying her position and learning new techniques with the horse. Last year she did not place at all, this year she earned good ribbons every time out and was so close to winning the region had the "luck of the draw" been in her favor. Sarah is a completely different rider. She agreed to ride first level as we had an open slot this year. She has risen to the occasion, with soft consistent rides. The thing I like about Sarah is that she listens to everything you tell her and puts it to work, she gets the job done during her tests, and comes out after the test knowing that she rode well. She is always pleased with her performance no matter where she places. Both these girls have competed win or lose with good sportsmanship and a "what can I learn from this?" attitude. I hope that they have learned to be better horsemen and team players. Most of all I hope that some of the lessons they have learned will provide them with tools to deal with future challenges that they will encounter not just in their riding but in life as well.”

Dwelle also said that she is sad to see the Seniors move onto the next phase of their life's journey in May, but she wishes them all the best as they go out into the world. “I hope they will keep in touch and know they are always welcome to come back to their home at St. Andrews,”  she said.



Abi riding Jake in the warm up parade

 Sarah riding Maggie in First Level Test 2

 

 

The team at the end of the day with barn cat Alfred

Last Home Show for Seniors

by Kirsten Farley

SAU IHSA Hunt Seat Show

February 22, 2014

Last Show of the Regular Season

 

When you think of college, you think of the four best years of your life. At St. Andrews, equestrian students not only get to have the college experience but they get to ride as well, which for many of our riders is the most important thing in their life. That is why this blog is dedicated our seniors. This past weekend was our last regular season show, and it was at SAU. For many it was just another show, for some though, this show marked the end of their collegiate riding career.

“The hardest part is to realize this is the seniors’ last show and that they won’t be here next year. It is hard to believe that it seems like just yesterday they were freshman, but I have seen how far their riding has progressed you can truly tell that they are seniors,” said director Peggy McElveen when she was asked about her take on the last show of the season. Parents, friends and other family members of some of the seniors came out to watch as these riders took the ring one last time.

I talked to a few of the seniors to ask them about their experience with IHSA. “I was so grateful to be able to qualify for Regionals and Zones my junior year. I feel like I have really progressed my riding abilities through IHSA, now it’s time to put these new skills to practical use,” was Alexandra Fullerton’s response to what she took away from the last four years of IHSA. Fullerton pinned 4^th on her flat and 1^st in her over fences in the show.

Keli Van den Heuvel, who earned 3^rd, looked back at the biggest highlight from this season that happened for her. “I received my very first, first place on one of my favorite horses at SAU, Feeney. After I went to tell Matt, we both smiled and said ‘I can finally graduate!’ It was a very heart-warming moment for me; I can leave SAU this spring feeling proud of what I accomplished this season.”

Shiloh Kozlowski, who pinned 3^rd, reflected on the past four years saying she was so glad for all the friendships she developed with great people, the chance to ride for some of the best coaches in the country, and making it to IHSA Nationals two years in row because of their help.

Tara Algeiri, who earned a 1^st and 2^nd place at the show, summarized it all by saying “It’s been a crazy experience being on this team. Today’s show is really bittersweet because it is the last time I can watch my friends ride and cheer them on.”

Seniors Racheall Dockery and Jake Hobson also competed in Saturday’s show. Dockery had a challenging ride in her novice flat and earned a 4^th and Jake pinned 2^nd on Big John in Walk Trot.

The team over all had a good day, sharing High Point Team with East Carolina University coached by Alum Alie McGraw.