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Student Spotlight: Victoria Kappel

August 25, 2017

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Student Spotlight: Victoria Kappel, 2016 communication sciences and disorders and Spanish graduate, current WIU Speech Pathology graduate student

From the Summer 2017 Western The Magazine for Alumni of Western Illinois University

"Where you invest your love, you invest your life." Think about it. Think about how one line of a lyric from a Mumford and Sons song can mean so much, especially when you relate it your time spent at Western Illinois University.

My journey to Western Illinois University started seven years ago. In May 2010, I was being recruited to play for the WIU women's soccer team, and little did I know, in the midst of the cornfields I had found a gem. At that moment, being introduced to WIU changed my world and my future.

After meeting, Head Coach Tony Guinn took my family and me on a campus tour. First stop: Western Hall! Before us, was the room formally decorated for graduation dressed in purple and gold banners with a grand piano on the stage. My family and I followed Coach Guinn up to the stage for what was really my "first test" of many in my collegiate athletic career. Coach Guinn asked, "Hey, Kappel, you said you played the piano, right?" "Yes," I replied and before I knew it, I eased my nervousness onto the piano bench and pressed my delicately trembling fingers on the ivory keyboard to bring forth the melody of my vulnerable soul.

We connected in 20 minutes without words, just the confidence that he found the athlete he was looking for.

From that moment on, I felt connected, welcomed and knew there would be many more moments ahead to help me decide who I was to become. Two of them I'd like to share, which taught me the value of interaction, of connectedness and of belonging. Without these two investments of love, other accomplishments would have not been possible anywhere else but WIU.

A bold dream and a driving passion led me to create and direct what has become a successful, heartwarming program on Western's campus. The name is derived from two words: connection and Leathernecks .... CONNECKS. CONNECKS is a sports event with Western Illinois student athletes and individuals with special needs. I find that it is the simplest and most unique events that give us meaning. At CONNECKS field days, over 60 participants with special needs create inseparable bonds with WIU student athletes, which greatly touches the lives of those involved.

In Spring 2015, I decided to let my adventurous side take a step out of the United States and get a fresh breath of knowledge while studying abroad in San Jose, Costa Rica. One day, while I was viewing a lunch menu in a local café, a stranger invited me to her table and during our conversation she interjected, "Si no vives para servir, no sirves para vivir." These words formed a meaning, which touched me to my core. In English, it translates to, "If you do not live to serve, you do not deserve to live." This expression elicits the essential quality of a human being by caring for humanity.
We connected with words, thoughts and the energy of our souls.

From these experiences of investing love into the passions I pursued, my journey of being a Leatherneck has been filled with such greatness. As the first Women's NCAA Postgraduate Scholar at WIU, I have continued my education toward a master's degree in speech language pathology. In addition, I have the honor and pleasure of educating students by serving as a teaching assistant in public speaking. Experiencing the other side of the podium, in a University that I love, has made me realize the amount of energy and effort professors invest in their students.

I fully believe everything happens for a reason, opportunity is where you find it, and often it is a matter of recognizing unexpected things that are important, leaving you perhaps feeling a little vulnerable and trusting in yourself to dig deeper into your soul. Although a dictionary may imply that vulnerability carries a negative connotation, I believe the opposite in that the term is actually the first step to a positive outcome. The best way to learn about who you are and what makes your heart's clock "tick" is by exploring the world, being open hearted and open minded, showing what you love, and leaving your walls down so you can experience these new things.

When you invest your love and your heart into your passions, the connections you can make are astounding, especially in the Macomb community. I believe author Victoria Erickson says it best: "When connections are real, they simply never die. They can be buried or ignored or walked away from but never broken. If you've deeply resonated with another person or place, the connection remains despite any distance, time, situation, lack of presence or circumstance."

Here I am, seven years later, wondering where the time has gone while still pondering the moment I first experienced that initial reward upon showing some vulnerability, pursing my passions in a place I love ,and my first WIU connection. Leathernecks, as we advance into our futures, know that whomever you have in your life—even if it is just for a moment—is there for a reason and always know, remember and hold in your heart that Western Illinois University is a catalyst for success in your passions. I know I have found, and will continue to pursue mine in Macomb.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing