Whether a full-time or part-time graduate student, finding and creating balance in one’s life can be a daunting task. 至少可以说，从家庭义务到职业要求和其他责任，大多数研究生都很忙。  

但作为一名学生运动员，在研究生生活中又增加了一个平衡的尺度。 这是Kassidy和Klaire Kirsch都很熟悉的框架。   

这对来自南达科他州拉皮德城的姐妹在大学期间一直从事体育运动。 Kassidy played on the 太阳城娱乐官网 women’s soccer team for the seasons between 2018 and 2022. Klaire currently plays on the 太阳城娱乐官网 women’s basketball team and has since the 2018-2019 season.  

由于2020年的COVID-19大流行，两位女性都获得了再参加一年比赛的机会，她们都接受了。  

然而，研究生院的体育运动与姐妹们在本科生涯中的经历有些不同。 One of the ways Kassidy found balance in all her responsibilities was through the guidance of faculty within the 沟通障碍科.  

“Based on my undergrad experience, I knew that the CDIS faculty would support me in playing my last year of soccer, especially after losing the previous season to COVID,” Kassidy said. “I met with Dr. Schneider-Cline and Mrs. Moody, and they walked me through possible options to help balance graduate school, working as a graduate assistant in 教师教育, and playing soccer.” 

两位女士都从她们的教授和教练那里得到了巨大的支持。  

“Thankfully, our coaches are beyond supportive of our academics and really emphasize that ‘student’ comes first in our title as ‘student-athlete,’” Klaire said. “My coach was also understanding of the difference between undergrad and graduate school and knew that I would be putting more time into my academics.”  

通过他们的支持和她自己的纪律，克莱尔能够管理研究生课程工作和大学体育的需求。  

卡西迪在她的努力中也得到了类似的支持。  

“My coaches were stoked for me to have the opportunity to do both [basketball and graduate school],” she said. “My professors have been incredibly helpful in making this a realistic situation for me. I am grateful for their thorough communication and genuine care…[for] me and my goals!” 

The Kirsch sisters’ decisions to attend graduate school at 太阳城娱乐官网 stemmed from meaningful undergraduate experiences and the support of faculty within their department and their coaches.  

“太阳城娱乐官网 has provided me with so many opportunities to…succeed,” Kassidy said. “I was able to balance my academics and athletics throughout undergrad and some graduate school thanks to professors, coaches, and other faculty that supported me.”  

 Klaire echoed her sister’s admiration: “I’m telling ya, the people [at] 太阳城娱乐官网 are special.” 

虽然成为研究生和学生运动员并不容易，但卡西迪和克拉尔·基尔希发现，只要有合适的支持系统，一切皆有可能。  

“It is a daunting thought to be fully immersed in a competitive graduate program while also maintaining my strenuous obligations as an athlete,” Klaire said. 但在她周围人的支持下，这一切都变得可控了。  

Finding balance “definitely wasn’t a walk in the park,” according to Kassidy, “but it helped me further develop my time-management and prioritization skills.”