Getting to Know You: Abby Culver
Abby Culver- Double majoring in Kinesiology and Psychology
Hometown: Edmonds, WA
Year in School: Junior
What inspired you to pursue a degree in kinesiology?
I took sports medicine classes in high school and fell in love with learning about anatomy and exercise, and working with athletes. I spent many hours working with football, basketball, and soccer teams at Edmonds-Woodway High School, and loved using my knowledge and abilities to serve and support our athletes. I added a psychology degree because the mind is just as important as the body, and the way they work together is both harmonious and intriguing. Both mental and physical health contribute to our overall well-being and performance, and should be acknowledged and cultivated diligently.
What do you hope to get out of your career?
What I hope to get out of my career is not as important to me as what I hope to put into it. I plan on pursuing a career in sports psychology. I’m not sure exactly where or what position I will end up in, but I love working with student-athletes. I hope to use the abilities, strengths, and passions God has given me to serve, support, and encourage others. I learn so that I can share my knowledge and my skills with others, and so I can help people in ways that they cannot help themselves. My goal is to support athletes, to work with them through their struggles, help them understand that their identity is not based on their performance, accomplishments, or position, and to improve their ability to handle pressure, stress, and adversity.
What, or who, motivates you as a student?
I am motivated by my love of learning and helping others. I love to learn, to gain new insight and understanding. I’ve always loved to serve people, particularly athletes and children, and deeply desire to create a positive environment where they can be themselves, and have the support and encouragement they need to thrive.
What kind of extracurricular activities are you a part of?
I’ve been a research assistant in the Psychology of Physical Activity Lab since I was a freshman. I’m currently helping to write the manuscript and collect data for our latest study, and going to a couple Sport and Exercise Psychology conferences this spring. I tutor for the athletic department, which means I have the privilege and joy of working with and being a resource for WSU’s student-athletes. I’m very involved in my church and have the honor of being the lead teacher of 4-5-year-olds in kids ministry, as well as an active member of a small group.
Favorites:
Sport: Basketball
Movie: Remember the Titans
Book: The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
Quote: Excerpt from Theodore Roosevelt’s “Citizenship in a Republic” speech, also known as “The Man in the Arena”: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”