By Nadine Hilkert, SCSU Women's Soccer

My name is Nadine Hilkert. I am 21 years old and I'm an international student-athlete from Germany. I am a junior studying psychology and anthropology and I'm part of the Southern Connecticut Women's Soccer team. This virus has brought a lot of changes into our lives. Our classes were switched to an online format. We cannot participate with our team on campus and international students, like myself, had to return home.  
 
The first few days after arriving back home in Germany were tough, specifically the realization of what had just happened and what's about to happen within the next few months. Nevertheless, I learned in my psychology class how important it is to be flexible and to adapt to changes and how much this contributes in positive ways throughout our lives. Therefore, I didn't let much time pass before I developed my new routine in my new environment, isolated from my social life from the outside world.
 
The team reacted immediately to the changes within our new environments and our coaches quickly introduced us to our new online format. We've worked on staying accountable and to continue to work on our goals from home and with each other. No one expected to be in these circumstances but what I have learned in school, as well as in soccer, is that it's important to focus on the controllable and the positive things we still have in our lives and to have a growth mindset. 
 
I appreciate all the support and help from faculty members and my team and I am sure that we will get past this in time by being there for each other and sticking together.
 
#SouthernStrong.