I graduated from Carman Collegiate in 2013 and was recruited by the head coach of the women’s basketball team. I decided to come to CMU because I was interested in pursuing basketball post-secondary. I had heard a lot about the strong community aspect of CMU and was planning to stay for two years before transferring elsewhere to complete a kinesiology degree. 

Cassie plays in a winning game against the Providence Pilots this season

Cassie plays in a winning game against the Providence Pilots this season

After two years, however, I made the decision to continue at CMU and change career paths. I’m now in my fourth year and will be graduating with a BA majoring in social science. I plan to use this to apply for the Bachelor of Education or Physiotherapy program at the University of Manitoba.

Graduating at CMU has allowed me to keep multiple career options open, as well as play basketball at a competitive level for the full four years. I would suggest CMU to others in a heartbeat! The small class sizes are a major reason for my academic success here and the friendliness and openness of the professors also sets up students for success.

The small size of the school allows for great community opportunities that made transitioning from high school to university quite smooth me. Coming from a small town, I was pretty nervous to move to the city to start school, but making friends at CMU has been one of the easiest transitions.

My time with the basketball program has been an excellent experience. I have gained lifelong friends throughout my time here and have had the opportunity to play with many talented athletes. I am thankful to have been under the same coach for all four years.

Coach Joe and the rest of the coaching staff at CMU are a major reason for the success of the student athletes that play for them. He always emphasizes that we are students first and athletes second. This is an extremely important distinction that is not always emphasized at other levels or in different programs.

I am thankful to have been able to play basketball here at CMU as well as graduate (soon). It has been an amazing four years and I have skills, experiences, and friends that I know will carry with my for the rest of my life.

Guest blogger Cassie is a Social Sciences student.