St. Ed’s senior Brett Harper completed her checklist of preferences for a college education when she committed to Kean University several months ago.
The location was a very important consideration. “Obviously through volleyball I found Kean University,” Brett said, “It was between Endicott College and Kean. I really wanted a school that was close to a city, but not actually in a city.”
That makes perfect sense for someone coming from a small school in Vero Beach. Kean is located in Union, NJ, about 20 minutes from New York City. Endicott is 30 minutes north of Boston in Beverly, MA.
“I visited both and really loved the campus at Kean,” Brett said. “I also visited New York for the first time and loved the city. I want to major in athletic training and the program at Kean is really hands-on. I loved the facilities that are available for that program. That’s why I chose Kean.”
Volleyball was certainly front and center in the decision making process, but it wasn’t the most important factor. The athletic training career path seemed like a perfect fit for her, said Harper, one of St. Ed’s more accomplished female athletes recently.
“At Kean there was a real focus on your major,” Brett explained. “And because the school is D3, I can play volleyball because I love it. To continue to play in college is really nice, and to also major in what I want to do is a big plus.”
Soccer was Brett’s primary sports interest when she came to St. Ed’s in sixth grade. At that early stage she recalled, “I was allowed to play different sports and try everything. That’s how I got involved with volleyball. By eighth grade I was playing competitively on a club team and with the varsity here at school. Those experiences allowed me to see how much I truly loved volleyball.
“I realized that soccer was not the sport that I was whole-heartedly into. At the same time I continued to play soccer and enjoyed it. When I was younger there was always a lot of pressure on me to play well and do well in soccer. But at St. Edward’s it was a lot more fun.”
Brett would play both varsity sports through four years of high school. It was the best of both worlds. She obviously enjoyed both but played them for different reasons. She said, “The volleyball court was where I wanted to do everything I could and go on to play in college. I also love to play soccer, just not as much as volleyball.”
The competitive drive may have been greater in volleyball, but it showed in soccer as well. As a sophomore Brett was named to the 2012 Florida Athletic Coaches Association Class 3A All-State Volleyball Team. She was voted to the All-Area Team in both soccer and volleyball as a junior and senior.
For the standout athlete, academics posed a bit of a challenge. Brett may have been slightly in awe of the high bar set by her peers in the classroom, but here too she may have had more on the ball than she realized.
“I didn’t really struggle here, I got mostly As and Bs, but academics didn’t always come easy to me, especially when I compared myself to the other students. I had to take a college entrance exam and placed very high, which I didn’t expect. I realize now that St. Edward’s has prepared me very well for college.
“That has taken a lot of stress off me because I wasn’t entirely sure how I was going to transition into the academic world at college.”
With straight As in Anatomy & Physiology, Honors Sports Medicine and Honors Neuroscience in her chosen major at Kean, Brett’s entry to the “academic world at college” should be smooth. The same is true for volleyball. She has the size and strength to dominate, with a deadly kill shot always a threat.
A revolving door of four volleyball coaches in five years did not in any way deter her development from eighth grade through high school. She was able to glean something worthwhile from Lauren Glasco, Jeff Junek, Andrea Rasmussen and Doug Leman. Those qualities include the value of hard work, having confidence in your ability, and asserting leadership in forging teamwork.
Jeff Lamscha coached her in soccer for four years before Jaclyn Pancotti took over this year. She was on the field for Lamscha’s 300th career win and Pancotti’s undefeated regular season.
“From all of my coaches I learned that you have to push yourself and work hard,” Brett said. “But they all emphasized having fun at the same time. Only then can you enjoy the sport you are playing.
“Leaving will definitely be sad. This summer I’m going to spend as much time as I can with my friends. Then I’m going off to college, playing volleyball, and making lots of friends there. Then I will bring them home to meet my friends here. Hopefully I can remain connected to everybody here. I hope that’s the way it works.”
