She first heard about Guilford from the College’s soccer coach at the time who asked her to play there after seeing on her recruiting profile that she was willing to change coasts.
 
“I thought it would be exciting to somewhere completely different from where I grew up, and I had always liked visiting the East Coast. I decided to visit Guilford College and a few other East Coast schools that were recruiting me. I felt like Guilford was the place for me as soon as I stepped on campus,” she says. “It had a very homey feel with big, beautiful trees and an awesome new turf field.”

Major Change

Lizzy originally planned to become a lawyer. She soon gravitated toward exercise and rehabilitation sciences while playing soccer her first year and having the experience of working with an athletic trainer on the field. 
 
“I realized that I love knowing how the human body moves, how different impairments affect the body, and how rehabilitation and exercises can help with injury and mobility deficits,” she says.
 
As an accomplished athlete who moved across the country and followed her passion for exercise science, Lizzy seemed to have all the confidence in the world. Yet she says she struggled to feel that way on the field. This led her to study the role of confidence in sports.
 
“My Honors thesis was about how sport confidence, self-efficacy, and competitive anxiety affect sport performance. I was interested in how levels of sport confidence and self-efficacy affect an individual’s sport performance,” Lizzy explains. “A lot of research has shown that higher levels of confidence lead to better sport performance, so for my thesis study I decided to look at competitive anxiety as well and determine if there is a relationship between competitive anxiety and sport performance, and how sport confidence fits into that relationship.”
 
Her Guilford professors played a big role in boosting Lizzy’s confidence off the field. “Lavon Williams was my thesis adviser and was tremendously helpful to me during my final three semesters with writing my thesis, conducting my thesis study, and being supportive when I was feeling overwhelmed,” she says. “I also loved having her as a teacher because she has high expectations, which forced me to work hard and always try to give my best work.”
 
It paid off. Lizzy switched coasts again to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy at the University of Southern California. 
 
“The USC DPT program is one of the best in the country, so I was actually shocked to get in coming from a small school like Guilford. It’s taken a lot of hard work, but I feel that my main major at Guilford — Exercise and Sport Science — prepared me well for the coursework.”

Wisdom to Share

She advises current and future students to not be afraid to go after what they want. 
 
“I was worried about changing my major after telling so many people back home that I was planning on becoming a lawyer. In the end though I knew that pursuing exercise science and physical therapy would bring me more joy,” she says. 
 
She also notes the seriousness of this area of study. “Even though it sounds like a fun and even simple path, Sport Studies actually requires a lot of hard work and dedication to be successful. Doing well in these majors will come much easier if you really enjoy what you’re learning.”
 
Lizzy recommends that undergrads enjoy their classes, extracurriculars, and especially their friends. 
 
“There’s no way I would be where I am today without the friends and teammates I met at Guilford,” she says. “I’ve also learned through my thesis work that the more confidence you have the more successful you’ll be, so don’t forget to believe in yourself.”

Are you interested in the Sport Studies program at Guilford? To learn more about Guilford, a top liberal arts college in North Carolina, schedule your personalized visit, start your application, or contact the Office of Admission at 336.316.2100 or admission@guilford.edu.