Stephanie Carlson ’21
Associate Editor and Sports Editor
Lake Forest College
Stentor staff interviewed senior softball player Sydney Wyatt ’20 about her final season as a college athlete and her plans after graduation. With Wyatt’s final collegiate softball season coming to an abrupt end, she is working to stay positive and is looking toward her future after she graduates in May. Wyatt is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. Majoring in sociology and anthropology with a minor in psychology, Wyatt wanted a place where she knew that she would receive support toward her future goals. Wanting to have a relationship with her professors, as well as access to many resources toward her education and life after college, Wyatt decided to continue her education and her softball career here at Lake Forest College.
Stentor: Have you participated in any internships?
Wyatt: “I am currently participating in an internship with the Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association (GLASA). It is a non-profit organization that promotes the physical and mental well-being of youth, adults, and injured military with a physical or visual disability. I started my internship at the beginning of spring semester. I work with the organization’s development director to help support fundraising initiatives, learn about GLASA’s different programs and fundraisers to tell their story through social media, work to develop and improve GLASA’s social media presence, and update the agency’s CRM system to ensure all our donor information is correct and up to date. I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity with GLASA and I plan to give back to the organization in the future through donations and volunteering.”
Stentor: What are your plans for after school? What is your dream position?
Wyatt: “I currently have no plans or positions lined up after graduation. However, if I had to choose a dream position, I would love to be an athletic director or be a part of the marketing and event coordinating team involved with athletics, either for a college or a pro sports organization.”
Stentor: How long have you been playing softball?
Wyatt: “I have been playing softball for as long as I can remember. I started playing T-ball when I was around 3 years old. I really got into softball when I started travel ball at the age of 8.”
Stentor: What made you want to play for a college team?
Wyatt: “I knew when I started travel ball that I wanted to play at the collegiate level. Even when I was young, I was always very competitive and looking for new ways to improve my skills and strive to be the best athlete I could be.”
Stentor: What was your favorite part of being on the Lake Forest College softball team?
Wyatt: “My favorite part about being a part of the Lake Forest College softball team is the second family I have created. When I came in my freshman year, I always heard ‘Forester Family Forever,’ but I did not know the true meaning of that until I began my first season with the softball team. Alumni that I never got to play with have turned into friends, teammates have turned into sisters, and their families have turned into mine. It is amazing to be able to play the game I love every day with the people I enjoy most being around. The support and love I have received from the Lake Forest softball community are indescribable and will be something I cherish forever.”
Stentor: What was it like to find out that your final college season ended so abruptly?
Wyatt: “When I found out that my senior season was over, I was devastated. I knew this season would be emotional since I would have to say goodbye to the game that has brought me so much joy, some of the best friends I could have asked for, and so many amazing memories that I have been given over the past 13 years. It was hard trying to prepare for this day to come when it was supposed to in three months, let alone when it ended so quickly. The hardest part was knowing deep down that our Florida spring break games would be our last, but I push[ed]through the sadness to try and enjoy the last games I would play with this team. I am so grateful to have been able to play 16 games this season with these girls, and although I wish things didn’t end the way they did, I know I will forever be a part of the Lake Forest College softball community.”
Stentor: Do you plan on continuing your softball career in any way?
Wyatt: “I do not have any current plans as of right now to continue my softball career, but I know in the near future, I will be ready to play in some old lady, slow pitch, beer leagues!”
Stentor: How has the team adjusted to the global pandemic?
Wyatt: “The team has been having weekly Zoom meetings, where we can catch up and talk about what we are grateful and thankful for as we would after every practice and game. We also have been keeping up with at-home workouts, and just trying to stay connected as a team and look forward to the time we will all meet again in the future.”
