Student Profile: Jacie Fiedler ’11

For Jacie Fiedler, the college experience is not defined just by how a school looks on paper. For her, there are certain intangibles that can only be understood by being a part of the student body. That is why, even though her original choice of a Division I university in Chicago seemed like a good fit, some things were simply missing.

“It was close to home. I thought it was going to be the right thing for me, but it turns out that I don’t enjoy the city like I thought I did.”

Like many at Hope, Jacie wanted more from her college experience than simply attending classes and making the grades. “I felt like I had skipped out on the undergrad experience and had jumped straight to graduate school. There wasn’t school spirit.”

School spirit is of particular importance to Jacie, considering she is a volleyball player.

Reflecting on her collegiate experience before coming to Hope, she notes, “I slowly lost my spark for the game. Even though it was Division 1 volleyball, there just wasn’t any spark.”

“Sparked” by Hope’s reputation for athletics, Jacie decided to transfer to Hope for her third year of college. It turned out to be a smooth switch.

“Volleyball gave me a great group of friends, and it allowed me to get involved at Hope right from the get-go. I’ve made life-long friends.”

At Division III Hope, she has also found the spirit that she felt was missing at the Division I level.

“Here at Hope, I have seen greater effort and passion from both my teammates and coaches. It’s incredible to be a part of it.” Another place where Jacie looks to channel her passion is the classroom, where she is working her way to a degree in biology.

“I’ve always wanted to be in medicine in order to help people.”

Jacie is hoping to combine her passion for medicine and for helping people as she seeks to become an optometrist. In the mean time, she continues to succeed in the classroom and on the court. Last season, Hope’s volleyball team reached the Final Four of the national tournament. It was a stellar experience all the more for having affirmed beyond the statistics the qualities that had drawn Jacie to Hope.

“I can’t believe the support system here: students, faculty, alumni. There is a sense of purpose playing out on the court. We play for more than just the team or the coaches; we play for the community, too.”

This profile was written by Charlie A. Walter, a Hope College senior from Grand Rapids, Mich., for the 2010-11 Hope College Catalog.

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