Cat describes her life at Wesleyan with two words: organized chaos. She is a varsity softball student-athlete, a leader in SAAC, and the football program's Director of Operations, someone who lives in the details so coaches and players can keep their focus on competing. It is a lot to juggle, but for Cat, the point is not to slow the schedule down. It is to build systems strong enough to hold it.
During the season, she says there is no true 'typical' week, and schedules can change quickly. What keeps the chaos from spiraling is that she treats time management like its own job. Sundays are for planning the week and looking a few days ahead so conflicts do not become emergencies. She has a simple rule for the small stuff: if it will take five minutes, do it now. The deeper system is mental. When everything is packed, she tries to be present wherever she is instead of half-living in the next obligation.
That mindset fits football operations because most of the job is invisible. People might see Cat on gameday with a camera and assume that is the role. She says the reality is constant communication. Her phone is almost always on, texts from coaches, emails from recruits' families, questions about logistics. Her role centers on being available and responsive so small issues never become bigger ones. One day she is making sure the drones are set up correctly at practice. Another day she is giving a recruit tour or coordinating gear orders on the move.
Gameday starts with a thought that is both honest and competitive: "Oh gosh, I hope we win." Cat understands game week from both sides as a student-athlete, and she feels the weight of how much everyone invests. Every player, whether a four-year starter or a first-year, pours time into film, meetings, lifts, and preparation. The coaching staff pours just as much into it, arriving early, leaving late, constantly game-planning, recruiting, organizing practice, and making sure film is ready. Knowing the investment behind the scenes makes her both excited and nervous for them, because she knows what it costs to get to Saturday.
Her softball teammates are a huge part of what makes that workload sustainable. As teammates lift together in the mornings and twice a week with partner lifts, she says she is incredibly lucky to be surrounded by people who are supportive and understanding of her schedule. When her days stretch longer than planned, they do not treat it like she is "missing." They treat it like she is doing what she has committed to, and they help her stay steady through it. In a life as packed as hers, she's grateful for her strong support system.
When the football team arrives on gameday, Cat starts with the details that no one notices if they go right. She checks in with equipment staff, fills water, confirms food and gear made it to the locker room, and keeps moving until the program feels ready to compete. As kickoff approaches, she shifts into content capture, moving between phone and camera while staying ready in case a coach needs something quickly. For her, "everything went right" means the players felt supported, and the coaches never had to worry about logistics.
She has also started helping with scouting reports for the defensive staff, a part of the job she only began last year. Early in the season, she studies opponents through last year's film and then narrows to the games that will give the clearest picture as the schedule moves forward. The goal is turning tendencies into something clear and actionable when time is tight, so the staff can teach faster and players can play freer.
Recruiting is another major pillar, and Cat believes the best visits feel human. She starts tours with a quick overview of facilities, housing, meal plans, and academics, but she says the conversation matters most. She asks questions to understand what a recruit and family are looking for, then explains Wesleyan as a place where there is truly room for everyone, within a team and beyond it. She talks about how connected Wesleyan athletes are across sports after graduating. Her pitch is long-term. Wesleyan is not just a four-year commitment. It is a forty-year investment.
Some of her growth has come from stepping into bigger professional environments, including time around the Kansas City Chiefs training camp and an NHL social media internship. What stood out was the pace. Everyone moves fast, but no one looks frantic. You are trusted to do your job, and that trust demands precision. Professionalism, she learned, is often the smallest details, labeling correctly, double-checking credentials, thinking one step ahead so you never become the delay. Those experiences also taught her confidence, how to communicate clearly and move with purpose. Back on campus, she brings that standard with her.
That same eye shapes her photography and communications work, which has been featured on major platforms, including the NCAA's Instagram and in the New York Times. When she shoots, she says she is looking less for the obvious highlight and more for the moment that tells the truth, usually a smile. Joy after a big play, laughter in the in-between moments, the connection that makes sports feel human. Internships in serious settings like the DEA and a law office reinforced the other side of the same lesson. Discretion matters, accuracy matters, and trust is earned through details.
For students who want to break into operations, sports media, or athletics administration, Cat's advice is practical: build communication, adaptability, and attention to detail. Learn how to write clear emails and follow up. Stay calm when schedules change or something breaks. Double-check your work, and when you make a mistake, own it and learn from it. The best first step, she says, is to get involved, email a coach, reach out to athletic communications, ask to help at a game, shadow for a few hours.
And for first-years and sophomores trying to find their footing, she names the most common early mistake as one she made herself: trying to prove yourself in every space at once. The hunger is real, but saying yes to everything out of fear of missing out can backfire. Her message for the first six weeks is simple: build habits and build relationships. Pick a routine and live by it. You do not have to have everything figured out immediately. If you build strong habits and strong people around you, the rest will fall into place.
