Not every Illinois State athlete takes the traditional route to become a Redbird. After graduating from Lockport High School in Homer Glen, senior volleyball player Amy Sesol went to Eastern Illinois and began her collegiate volleyball career as a Panther.

The 5-foot-10 outside hitter decided that Eastern was not for her, however, and transferred to Illinois State to continue her career. As a recreation management and administration major, Sesol has become accustomed to walking the fine line between success both in the classroom and on the hardwood.

What made you decide to play for Illinois State?
It’s actually always been a dream of mine to play for ISU; they hosted state for the IHSA and I’ve always wanted to play in this gym. I love the coaches and I love the program here and I really wanted to become a part of it.

How difficult is it trying to balance a Division I sport and all of your school work?
It’s quite hard and a lot to handle at first. It’s very overwhelming but they really provide us good resources to make sure we stay on top of things. The study center really helps us stay on track and on schedule with our busy schedule and everything we have to do.

What do you do to help yourself stay organized?
Actually on my computer I have a calendar set up, it is color-coded and everything. The big thing is you have to stay organized though. It’s a lot about preparation too. You cannot procrastinate and save things until the last minute, you have to know what you have to do and when you have to have it finished by.

What is the most demanding part of being a student-athlete?
AS: I could answer that in many ways, it could be really demanding with school and making sure you keep up. It’s important to communicate and have good relationships with your teachers. In the gym it’s also demanding, even with school and everything else going on you have to make sure you’re focused and work hard every day.

Any advice you have for future student-athletes?
AS: Just make sure you stay organized and don’t slack on work otherwise you’ll get far behind. You have to just keep working hard every day.