“…she shaped who I am today”

I met Molly my second semester into Junior year. She was giving a talk for the Big Red Leadership Institute, Cornell’s student-athlete leadership development program. I had received an e-mail the night before that included a small bio on who Molly was and what she would be speaking about. But, being the typical college student that I was, I really had no intention of stopping by the meeting. Long story short, God had other plans for me, and the next day I found myself sitting off to the left listening intently to every word she was saying. “You’re always on,” she began, “the moment you walk out of the privacy of your own home, you’re on stage.” Her words electrified all of us. She spoke about topics like team culture, sacrifice, tangible deliverables, and the law of diminishing returns. After her talk I sat there for a moment and thought to myself, “I really need to get to know this woman.” Once I mustered up the courage, I marched right up to her and I introduced myself. That night I sent her a follow-up e-mail. Everything about her spoke to me. Her body language, her tone of voice, her confidence and sense of empathy that just radiated off of her. She was one of the most impressive people I had ever met and I had only been in a room with her for an hour. I knew I wanted and needed her to become my mentor. Not only did she graduate from Cornell, but she too was also the captain of the field hockey team. We were similar in those two regards except I was the captain of the equestrian team. She was the model standard for who I wanted to be when I grew up, and I knew that having her in my corner would be invaluable. So over that initial e-mail I asked if she would be my mentor and advise me on all things from struggles with my team and coach, to my life as an adult post-college that was looming closer. Without hesitations she agreed, and from that day on, we spoke regularly. She evolved from this impressive stranger, to one of my deepest confidants. Without even knowing it, she shaped who I am today. Not only did she give me all of her time (there were some occasions where we spent hours discussing a problem I had on the phone), but she gave me everything she had. She has numerous responsibilities on her plate, and still to this day she makes me feel like her number one priority. Molly did nothing short of save my life. She coached me, listened to me, was there for me and has always had a solution for me. She is truly an incredible human being. I would thank God if I grew up to be even half the women she is. —Chelsea Huss