The "Opening Doors" story series celebrates the power of scholarships to change the lives of Elon students and the generosity of donors who make this transformation possible. Nick Ciolkowski, a junior on the Elon men's cross , writes about his journey as a student-athlete and the opportunities Elon has opened for him. As the end of the 2017 calendar year approaches, consider making a gift to the Phoenix Club. Your gift directly impacts student-athletes at Elon. Click here to make a gift online.
By Nick Ciolkowski
Being an Elon student-athlete has taught me to challenge myself in ways I never thought possible.
Sure, I was a better than average runner in high school, but only just. I was a better than average student, but again, only just. Elon wasn't my first choice; I had been turned down from other schools that I would have rather gone to at the time. Once I had settled on this school, I was perfectly content to put my head down, work hard for four years, and move on to the next stage of my life. Only 10 short months later, I was having dinner with my dad after the end of the year sports banquet, telling him there was no place I'd rather be than Elon University.
At Elon, I happened to stumble upon something that is all too rare for most students. I found a staff of professors and coaches who were personally invested in my own success and were willing to push me further than I thought I could go. In my first month of freshman year, I sat in Coach Polk's office staring in dumb disbelief when he told me I could be a conference champion that year. If he had not had set such high goals for me, who knows if I would have found it in myself to prove him right two months later.
This kind of encouragement was not limited only to cross country. As a student-athlete, it can be all too easy to become too focused on your sport. If it were not for the professors in the chemistry department I would be doing just that. If Dr. Dan had not pulled me aside after class and pointed me towards pursuing research I would not have started working with Dr. Jen Dabrowski, I would not have spent too many sleepless nights preparing an application for the Lumen Prize. And, if I had not applied for the Lumen Prize, I would not have this opportunity to pursue my own research project to the fullest.
When I think of all the ways I have exceeded my own expectations these past two years, it can sometimes be tempting to tell myself that it is all due to my own hard work. And, while in some ways that might be true, I know all too well that if it was not for everyone who has supported me along the way I would not have nearly as many opportunities as I do today. I have been lucky enough to attend an amazing university, competing in the sport I love and studying a major that I am passionate about; but what is even more valuable are the people that have helped me along the way. There's no group of people I'm closer to more than my cross country teammates. We've all seen each other at our strongest and our weakest moments, and, ultimately, running cross country would not be nearly as rewarding without them. The community I have found in the chemistry department is above and beyond anything I would have found at any other university. The guidance of professors and mentors has been invaluable, and I have made stronger friendships during late night organic chemistry study sessions than I have anywhere else outside of the cross country team.
There were plenty of other schools I could have gone to where I could have run cross country while getting my degree, but that would have been the bare minimum. What makes being a student-athlete at Elon University truly valuable are the relationships you have with your fellow students and mentors. I honestly believe that everyone here is rooting for me to succeed, whereas at a larger university I may have just been lost in the crowd.
It's not lost upon me that none of this would have been possible without the generosity of the Phoenix Club. My scholarship makes it possible for my parents to support not only me, but also my brothers as they begin their undergraduate careers. It has already opened so many exciting doors for me these first two years. I'm running better than I ever could have hoped with a team that I would do anything for. With the help of Dr. Jen I have my own research project that makes me excited to be working on in the lab every week. This first half of my journey at Elon has been unbelievable. I can't wait to see what the next two years have in store.
-- ELON --
