Gabriella Kempf, who also goes by Gabby, is a freshman student at Quincy University. She is from St. Louis, Missouri, and doesn’t currently play sports at QU.

Kempf is majoring in nursing and hopes to be a registered nurse in the future.

“I heard about their partnership with the local hospital called Blessing and how they help pay off student loans if you get a job at the hospital. I also liked that they basically have all four years planned out for nursing. This was convenient and helpful for me. It means I can build community with other nursing majors and we can start working together in the future. I know med school is hard and support is important,” Kempf said.

Kempf lives in St. Louis but knows her way around Quincy very well. She says her favorite place in the city is Carter’s which is popular among many students on the QU campus. She says she goes there almost every other day to get her favorite drink.

Kempf is very involved on campus and tries to go to all the events that are hosted but still makes room to hang with her friends who are athletes. Kempf is a member of a club and is a huge supporter of QU’s volleyball and baseball teams, these being two of her favorite sports other than soccer.

Kempf is a huge soccer fan with her favorite team being Kansas City.

“I’m a part of chick-chat which is a group of girls that meet and just talk or do homework. I appreciated that club so much because it gave a lot of us a chance to meet new people without feeling uncomfortable or pressured. I got to meet and talk to girls on campus who I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I also got to connect with other nursing majors. I’m glad I joined the club and that it was being offered to the girls in my building,” Kempf said.

During the Fall semester , Kempf was a manager of QU’s women’s volleyball team. Kempf says she really enjoyed helping out and got really close to the girls on the team. Volleyball happens to be one of her favorite sports and was excited to be a part of program that supported the players and other people who aid the team.

“Most of the time when I meet someone new on campus the first thing they ask me is if I play a sport. When I say no they always seem like they don’t know what else to say, like they’re baffled that there’s someone here that doesn’t play a sport. I don’t really think it’s an issue with Quincy. Quincy is primarily an athletic school but they can work on making the other students who don’t participate in sports feel just as important and included,” Kempf said.

Kempf suggests that non-athletic students be more appreciated for their involvement on campus and their participation in supporting the athletic teams on campus, but she is grateful for the community she has been able to build on campus.