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www.lycoming.eduS T U D E N T AT H L E T E
Like many college freshmen, Kelsey Rawson ’15 believed she had her
college career planned out. When she came to Lycoming in 2011, her
plan was to major in sculpture and be a member of the swim team.
Fast forward four years and things have turned out a bit differently.
This Waldorf, Md., native discovered what Lycoming is all about –
expanding horizons. Art is still a major part of her life, but her focus
has changed to painting.
“I took a painting class and I just fell in love with it,” she said. “I
took an introduction to psychology class and really enjoyed that
as well. Then I took child development and realized I wanted to
work with kids, so now I am applying to graduate schools for
psychology.”
Rawson, who is now the vice president of the Psi Chi
psychology honor society, continues to paint for fun. She’s
also combined the two subjects for her senior year thesis,
which is about painting and psychology.
Rawson finds it an exciting time to be an art major at the
school because of the college’s growing commitment to the
arts, which included the opening of the Lycoming College Art
Gallery in October.
“It’s a huge opportunity,” she said, “to have our Senior Art
Show there.”
Like her art, her athletic career has followed an unanticipated but
successful path.
It was during her sophomore year, after a year on the swim team,
that friend convinced her to join the cross country team.
“I hated running,” Rawson said. “But [head cross country coach]
Regina [Collins] made me fall in love with the sport and I just kept
wanting to get better.”
Running in just four races that year, Rawson quickly became a part
of the team’s top five runners and she never left. As a junior, with a
full year under her belt, Rawson posted a career-best time of 26:08
on a 6K course at the NCAA Mideast Regionals.
The team has grown around Rawson, who developed into a team
captain as a senior, as the team grew from four runners in 2011 to 15
at the end of 2014. The change has been thrilling to see.
In a move that simultaneously showed the solidarity of the team
and brought two of Rawson’s worlds together, her fellow runners
attended her art exhibit at the Community Arts Center in October.
“It was quiet with just a few little tables and then all of a sud-
den, the room was packed and crowded,” she said. “All the run-
ners were there. They all seemed so excited and they were proud
of me. It was cool to see them interested in my art and for them
to see that side of me.”
•
Kelsey
Rawson
’15
“I took a painting class
and I just fell
By
Joe Guistina
in love with it.”